Here’s a statistic I had to look at twice and then verify before believing it: since star midfielder Cesc Fabregas went out with an injury last December, Arsenal hasn’t lost a match in the Premier League.
This is not to say they haven’t dropped points. In their last 12, Arsenal has won 6 and drawn 6, and at least one of draws (home to Sunderland) probably would have been a win had the Gooners at least looked interested. Still, compare that to Aston Villa’s form in their last 12 — 5 wins, 4 draws, and 3 losses. That’s a 5-point swing in Arsenal’s favor. More recent form — 12 points in 6 matches for Arsenal v. 4 points in 6 for Villa — would indicate that the Gooners have hit their stride at just the right time of the season.
They’ve done all this without Fabregas, too, which might be why the Times Online’s Matt Hughes suggested that the Spaniard’s days are numbered at Arsenal.
Obviously, there are other factors involved in the Gooners’ recent resurgence. The return of Eduardo da Silva has been a big boost for the big club, and Andrei Arshavin is starting to make his presence felt in the Premier League. Still, the emergence of Denilson in central midfield and the greater role of wingers like Arshavin and Samir Nasri in Arsenal’s lineup might have Arsene Wenger pondering if he still needs Fabregas to carry the load in the middle. That alleged spitting incident against Hull didn’t help matters, either.
Plus, Fabregas seems to have plenty of potential suitors in his home country of Spain. Depending on what day of the week it is, Real Madrid and Barcelona are reportedly interested in bringing in Fabregas during the summer, and Arsenal can slap a £30 million price tag on him and get something fairly close to that. Combine that with the A.C. Milan’s reported interest in Emmanuel Adebayor and Gael Clichy, and Wenger could find himself with a huge transfer kitty this summer. The board would certainly pressure him to spend that money, too, because the back line needs strengthening, and Nicklas Bendtner and his pink boots aren’t the answer up front.
Fabregas is a great talent, and Arsenal would certainly be more feared with him in the lineup. However, given the current midfield players and the needs Arsenal has at other positions, it sure seems like the big club would have a better shot at winning trophies in the future by selling Fabregas rather than by keeping him. Whether or not he secures another top-four finish for Arsenal, Wenger faces some big questions about the future direction of his club this summer.
{ 54 comments… read them below or add one }
are you on drugs?
well i think u need some medical attention mate … Cesc is the heart and soul of our midfield n we missed baddddddddddddddddd
Definitely has to be on drugs. Arsenal needs to just transfer out Adebayor.
NEVER HAVE I HEARD SO MUCH RUBBISH. WHY WOULD ARSENE WENGER EVEN CONSIDER SELLING THE BEST PLAYER AT THE CLUB. THE REASON WE WEREN’T DOING WELL AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SEASON IS NOT DOWN TO FABREGAS BUT OUR LACK OF GOALS. HOW CAN A TEAM HAVE A BETTER SHOT AT WINNING TROPHIES IF THEY SELL THEIR BEST PLAYERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HOW MUCH WOULD WE HAVE TO SPEND TO REPLACE PLAYERS SUCH AS CLICHY.
FINALLY STOP GETTING ON BENDTNER’S BACK HE IS ONLY 20 YEARS OLD.
YOU OBVIOUSLY DO NOT KNOW ENOUGH ABOUT WENGER OR HIS POLICIES OTHERWISE YOU WOULD NOT HAVE WRITTEN THIS FOOLISH IDEA OF YOURS.
I’ll be kind and assume you’re just trying to get some reaction, or that you’re joking.
thanks for the arsenal oriented article but you obviously know nothing about the club. what are their needs in other positions? wings, got them, strikers check, center backs check , right and left backs check, they only need a central defensive mid, do they need to sell players to get him idk they already have song and denilson and both are improving. look you really need to stop taking what your taking.
Please check your acts. since Cesc was made captain the team hs not lost
TWAT. Why on earth would any football team be better off without one of the finest young midfielders in the world?
Are you an idiot or a dumb?
Maybe you are trying to provoke somebody, in that case you hit the number but I’m still thinking you are a prat
Poor Article, Failed to mention a 6 game winless run for Arsenal without Fabregas, all within the unbeaten run, the Heart and soul of the team as stated above by my fellow commentator is an understatement, Club Captain, one club man, Libero of the team, 50 Assists in 5 years at the club, over 25 goals in that time, and amassed over 250 games for the club, and hes 21, those statistics alone over 85% of premier league players dont even come close to, yet for the editor to state that he has a better chance of winning mahor honours at another club next season, 1 in 20 chance in England, still remains a 1 in 20 in Spain, and a 1 in 20 in Italy, also a very poor statement in Eduardo’s return, he has played in a grand total of 2 of those 12 matches mentioned, obviously crucial for “Gooners’ recent resurgence”, Very Poor Article
King Gooner ur spot on ………..This guys nuts
What is all this constant Cesc bashing – come to think of it the AFC bashing teh FA don’t like Arsenal and seemt o treat Hull in the highest regard.
Sod off Hull back up North and leave our Cesc alone.
What a ridiculous artitcle must be a spud fan
Cesc is not going anywhere even though the British press and Hull seem to want him to go back to Spain!
Due to my contract that I have with the FA, it clearly indicates that I have to rile as much the Arsenal fans, and in General the Arsenal Football club, its all part of the media’s sole attack on Arsenal and we are trying our Hardest to unsettle any foriegn players, so that they leave, by that solely targeting Arsenals players as none are English
The FA are a joke treat thug Gerrad and thug Rooney like they are angels it’s double standards they both get preferential treatment.
Didn’t bother reading the article. The answer is no.
This article makes no sense! If Real/Barca, who already have quality in their side, want him, how the hell can Arsenal afford to lose him with the likes of Denilson/Song/Diaby in our squad??
What a shame! is this what happens when there are no matches?
the goal of this establishment is to say controversial things that attract as much traffic as possible, this already has 18 comments which equals even more money in the pockets of the people running this thing.
Arthur, don’t be so ridiculous. Dave gets no financial incentive whatsoever for generating as much traffic as possible to this article. As Mike K said a few days ago, you’re giving Arsenal fans a bad name. Why? You’re consistently posting inane comments.
Cheers,
The Gaffer
R u retarded. Oh Let me guess u r a spud in disguise looser.
You must be mad or are you on drugs Cesc is the heart of our team he is our
team captain .
We must support our captain all the way , Cant wait to see him play with
Andrey Samir Rosicky if we have to sell one it should be Ade then we could
go and by sum one like David Villa from Valencia……..
The Anti-Cesc bandwagon lead on by the bottom-feeders of “journalism” is gathering pace I see.
It’s awful the way Cesc has been treated after being accused, without any evidence so far might I add, of spitting at the ground in front of some no-name from Hull.
Cesc is a superstar. He is Arsenal’s talisman and was made captain of the club to great enthusiasm from players and fans alike. Why on earth would anyone suggest his future lies away from the club?
Ludicrous and pathetically stupid article. I wish I hadn’t spent any time reading it.
Don’t be silly, better to build a team around him. I would rather Wenger went out and bought a DM worth his salt and sold Denilson or Diaby. Fabregas and Flamini was a great partnership, but Toure and Gallas are weak. So, the answer is buy a strong DM & CB – keep Fabregas. But then that’s what Wenger should have done last summer, but he stupidly fucked the season up.
Also fabregas never spat at brown, i recon it’s a load of bollocks!
i will always belive in cesc rather than that wanker brown, or anyone else!
Fabregas is the only player on Arsenal around whom Arsene can build not just a team for one year, but for the future. The supporting cast mentioned in the article – Nasri, Arshavin, Denilson – simply don’t ooze class the way the Spaniard does. He’s a starter on any team in any league, and it would be ridiculous if Wenger sold him. If Man U can pay 30 million for Berbatov then 30 million for Fabregas is a steal.
What bollocks
You guys do realise you can disagree with an article without calling people twat and wanker ? It actually reduces the credibility of the point you are trying to make by using language like that .
Pointless, horrible article.
MATE, i sincerely hope this post is just to get comments i.e.a reaction from fellow gooners. For any sane arsenal fan to suggest that Arsenal FC are better without Cesc Fabregas, or worst still that our central midfielders have been performing well in his abscence really need to have a serious word themselves!!!
If Arsenal are to win anything this season, or in the forseable future it is IMPERATIVE that Cesc stays.
Interseting artice though!! Check out my blog. (http://kingkolo.over-blog.com/)
Adios!!
5 men wen to bed……..went to bed with Ashley……….
COME ON ARSENAL
The writer can’t even use correct English in his opening title, that’s how you know the article will be full of shit.
What a load of bullshit….. the most moronic article I’ve seen for a while!
Sample size!
I don’t really know what else needs to be said. The argument is based entirely on a very limited sample of games, and a series of arguments by innuendo. The author rightly identifies that his argument based on recent run of form is plagued by a series of other factors (return of Eduardo, signing of Arshavin), and thus there is no grounds whatsoever to causally identify the lack of Fabregas as a positive contribution. To replace the argument the author is forced to just reference the huge money he would get and the quality of the players behind him. Where is the analysis? Where is the comparison between Fabregas and Denilson? Where is the analysis of where the money could be better spent? I don’t think a good case even can be made, but there at least should be some argument.
Again, I hate piling on when the abusive posters are out in full force. No author here deserves that kind of abuse. What I do think is fair game, however, is close scrutiny on the arguments offered and the editorial standards they reflect. Perhaps I am also driven by the fact that I regularly enjoy this blog, and thus the editorial credence I’ve given it inclines to me to read articles, rather than simply ignoring the posts like I would at less blogs.
Was it Vodka or Jack Daniels?
Cesc is a punk a of a footballer. Low class, no respect for oppenents and plays the Arsenal way (with intent to kill). A disgrace to the game. Learn some manners from Ryan Giggs.
Cheers,
Robbie
Chris Morgan nearly kills Hulme and the FA do FA,
Fab “allegedly” spits at Horton and theres an inquiry,
That says it all, and you want respect!!!!!!!
just replace the word cesc with cristiano and check your opinions folks. its funny how peoples logic changes when in all reality the scenarios are similar. all big clubs dont want to sell quality players, they want to offload players around the time of their sell by date. but there is always a bigger picture. united were in a position to sell their best player at the peak of his success for a massive amount of money after their most successful season in a decade. and here the are now.. ronaldo a shadow of himself, worth a far cry that this time last year, and becoming more of a liability than an asset every week. use your head for thinking, and your heart for loving arse fans.. be wise.
ANYONE WHO SAID THAT SHOULD GO TO HELL
FABREGAS THE MAGICIAN YOU GOT TO BE SHITTEN ME
FABREGAS DONT GO
REAL FAN OF ARSENAL
hahahaha todd please go back to your yid nest.
maybe you are right. seems to me arsenal have sold their best player to european sides, often when that player had become not only the most skilled but a talisman, only to win nothing…. twice. perhaps they should hold on to cesc with all their might.
youll find i was not making the argument that arsenal are better off without cesc. far from it. just that one must consider the consequences of every decision. think of it this way. if united were offered 100m for ronaldo this last summer, how much worse off would they be without him, and imagine how much better they would be with the money they could then spend (lets make it just 40m and we consider the 60m buys up berba and tevez). 40m, to replace a player who is not bagging the goals or assists like last year, and appears to be beating himself most games and losing his temper/focus. surely after last season’s double, no united fan would welcome a sell of their best player. but you have to think with your head.. and consider the whole picture
ur a lil mug
better off without fabregas u having a laugh
he goin to be/ or is the best centrall midfielder
i like how dave warner doesnt even bother giving a follow up. hahaha what a pathetic joke. gaffer and his team are the worst “journalists” on the internet. this are wild opinions, nothing new worthy on here. i only come to have a laugh. hahahahahahahahaha i give arsenal fans a bad name? this site gives football a bad name.
robbie from above, go back to tottenham keane.
i know this article is wrong, because i actually watch every arsenal game. i dont expect the author to be watching every game so he is obviously handicapped when trying to use his head.
gaffer, tell me how i can write for this site, do i just email you article so that you could review them and then post them? because if you gave me the chance i could write serious articles. im a college student that has already completed my english requirements and have gotten As in every one of my english courses. plus ive been watching football for about 5 years now and do not miss one arsenal game. if that doesnt qualify me, then i dont know what does.
this site is lacking authors that actually defend their opinions in articles. real stats are needed.
are u on crack or just stupid? ur mum must have dropped u on ur head as a baby
Only thing good about this artical is the no of people who disagree with you… Dave you’re worse than Hill-Wood!!!
EVIL MEN TRYING THEY HAVE COME AGAIN TRYING TO SELL ALL OUR PLAYERS FOOLS.ANYWAY AS U CAN SEE FROM ALL THE COMMENTS WE LOVE ARSENAL AND WE LOVE FABREGAS AND HE IS NOT GOING ANYWHERE.
HAHA you are not a gunner are you not?
You haven’t got a clue of what the situation at Arsenal currently is, there is so much more to this than a guardiola wet dream.
Perhaps you should try writing about something you have a better grasp of
Terrible article, sorry.
Those wins are down to Arshavin’s presence, rather than Cesc’s absence. Got it?
Cesc Fabregas is one of or will be the best central midfielders in the game, and denilson is no replacement, also players like van persie, adebayor, nasri, arshavin etc will only benefit from cesc being in the team. He will help unlock the difficult teams in the league, even when he is playing bad he has the ability to pick out that killer pass to get the important goal. (which arsenal have been lacking recently)
The guy who wrote this article is clueless and is not a football fan
Who is Dave Warner? He must be a Villa fan trying to figure out a way to make it to the top 4 next season!
AWFUL! Your article is a joke mate!