Well this season is just getting harder and harder to predict. Having just absorbed last week’s action Game Week 15 is here and no doubt will throw up plenty more surprises.

The Premier League weekend kicks off Saturday lunchtime at Villa Park. Two wounded team’s line up looking to bounce back from disappointing results. The majority of Villa’s midfield is currently residing in the treatment room. Step forward Barry Bannan and Stephen Ireland, Bannan (4.5) has performed well so far and Ireland (5.9) is eager to get his Aston Villa career up and running. Arsenal are still sitting pretty in third, despite apparently being in crisis, it’s a crisis that 17 other Premier League sides would be delighted to find themselves in. Robin Van Persie (9.5) will be looking to get his season up and running this weekend. Cesc Fabregas will be out for two weeks after picking up a hamstring injury against Braga. But Arsenal still have a wealth of talent to call upon in the absence of their inspirational skipper.

West Ham host Wigan in the basement battle of the weekend. It’s a must win game, both teams will be hoping their match winners will see them through a nervy encounter. Carlton Cole (5.8) has voiced his frustration at the lack of quality balls into the box. Now would be the ideal time to give the Hammers front man the service he craves. Wigan will miss star striker Hugo Rodellega (Suspension) but have the continually impressive Charles N’Zogbia (5.7).

Top of the table Chelsea are struggling too and face a long trip to St James Park this game week. The last time Chelsea lost two league games on the bounce everything was in black and white. They visit a Newcastle side who can’t quite decide whether to score five or concede five every week. My head say’s it all adds up to a dull no score draw But my heart is saying goals so get Andy Carroll (6.1) in your starting XI, John Terry is still absent from the Blues back line and the boy Carroll is guaranteed to give any defence a rough ride.

Sundays late game see’s Tottenham host Liverpool. Spurs cruised past Werder Bremen and into the last 16 of the Champions league Wednesday night. There can be no excuse of tiredness come Sunday, Harry Redknapp’s side had time to stop and feed the ducks on their midweek walk in the park. Jermain Defoe (8.6) is fit again and looks desperate to make up for lost time. If you have the funds available snap him up, he’ll be back in the goals sooner rather than later. Rafael Van Der Vaart (8.5) looks certain to feature after missing out in midweek. Liverpool are starting to turn the corner, but their form on the road is horrendous and they look likely to head home empty handed.

Final mention goes to Johan Elmander (6.3), Kevin Davies (6.5) and Chung-Yong Lee (5.3), I tipped them to be in the points last week and they didn’t disappoint. A home tie against Blackpool this weekend almost guarantees another return from them and hopefully, they will again keep my final shreds of credibility intact for a little while longer.

That’s your lot for this week. If you feel like joining in the fun then join the EPL League by visiting: http://fantasy.premierleague.com/ the code you need to join is 13413-5300

“That’s where I play best, that’s how I was formed. In every age group at youth level, I often played through the middle. I’ve been playing out wide for two years with Arsenal but feel more at ease in the centre of the pitch.”

These words were recently uttered by the only person on the Arsenal squad that could be as strong as Cesc Fabregas in the center of midfield.  Yes, there is Jack Wilshere (too young right now), Tomas Rosicky (not the same after that long-standing injury), and Andrei Arshavin (dangerous, but inconsistent). With Cesc Fabregas all but certain to reach his dream of playing in a Barcelona jersey next season, Arsene Wenger’s choice really isn’t one at all.  He has to pick Samir Nasri.

When Samir Nasri was purchased in the summer of 2008 by the Gunners to take over for Barcelona bound Alexander Hleb, he had already proved himself to be a superstar in France.  Coming off of a season with Ligue 1 side Marseille where he scored seven goals and had 14 assists in all competitions as well as walking away with Ligue 1’s Young Player of the Year award in the previous campaign, Nasri had drawn comparisons to the great Zidane as a scintillating playmaker with a gift for the precise pass.  Debuting against West Bromwich Albion that August, he made an instant impression by scoring the only goal just four minutes into the match.  The 2008-2009 season would have Nasri finish with seven goals and six assists as a winger.  Although he missed out on a large part of the 2009-2010 season with a broken leg, Nasri was still able to make an impact with his club upon his return.  His five goals (three of those in the Champions League) and four assists showed that he could be an asset.

So far this season, Nasri has been playing to his strong potential.  A brace against West Bromwich as well as two penalty conversions against Tottenham in a Carling Cup match have shown his ability to turn a game around.   His performance against Romania over the weekend in Euro 2012 qualifying was excellent as he was the orchestrator of many of Les Bleu’s scoring chances.  While Cesc will retain his position when he comes back from injury, there is no mistaking that Nasri has shown himself worthy to be the stalwart in the midfield for Arsenal.  Next season, there will be a new player in Cesc’s position, like it or not.  Hopefully, it will be number 8.

Arsenal have today announced record profit levels of £56million, an announcement that only further fuels the claim that the Premier League really is recession proof. But will these impressive financial figures finally see Arsene Wenger tempted in to splashing the cash?

The probable answer is no. Wenger has always avoided big money deals in favour of the cheaper long term deals. It has been stated in the past that there was money there for the Frenchmen to spend, and yet there have been no big name signings.

Instead Wenger put his faith in his young starlets, and their midweek performance at Tottenham in the Carling Cup shows that the Gunners are producing some of the finest prospects in World football.

But the problem with this is that it is a very long term approach to success. Football is a very short term world and while it does make a refreshing change to see a manager take a more logical long term approach to success, you have to question whether it is really the right policy to deliver a trophy.

The last time the Gunners tasted success was in 2005, and other than a couple of flings with the Carling Cup, in truth they have never really looked like going on to end their barren spell. However every year we say that Arsenal are getting better and the promise they have shown during the opening few games of this campaign suggests this could be the year that their luck changes.

But I can’t help but think that if Arsenal do have another trophyless season than it might just be time for Wenger to splash the cash, especially when you consider the probable departure of Cesc Fabregas.

 Yes there is nothing wrong with giving your players a chance, and there is no reason why this can’t continue, but I can’t understand why Wenger is so opposed to bringing in a big name signing. Sometimes all it takes to take a side to the next level is a top signing, if you have the funds to bring somebody in, why not use them?

What do you think? Should Arsene Wenger finally start to splash the cash or are his young guns good enough to bring success to the Emirates Stadium?

While it has been Chelsea taking the Premier League by storm during the opening few weeks of the season, their London rivals Arsenal have gradually been gradually continuing their solid start to the campaign.

Arsene Wenger’s side have been in very impressive form so far this season. They kicked off with a creditable 1-1 draw at Liverpool before three straight wins, including a 6-0 mauling of Premier League new boys Blackpool.

But in their last game they got their biggest boost of the season so far – the return to fitness and form of Cesc Fabregas. During the 4-1 win over Bolton, the little Spaniard showed the sort of ability which saw him linked with a big money move to Barcelona during the summer, and if he continues this form, Pep Guardiola may just regret not parting with the inflated transfer fee that Arsenal demanded.

You have to admire Fabregas’ attitude, just yesterday I criticised Fernando Torres, suggesting his heart was no longer at Liverpool and it was showing on the pitch, but with Fabregas, this simply wasn’t the case.

Wenger though claims he never doubted that Fabregas would be committed to the cause: “I was always convinced he loved Arsenal.

“When he is on the pitch, he enjoys it. We play the game he loves to play, the game turns around him as well. He grew up in this team, and to make this team win will be a bigger achievement than anything else for Fabregas.”

To be honest though you can see why Fabregas would remain loyal to Wenger, and so he should. Without the help of the Frenchman, Fabregas would be nowhere and repaying the gamble that Wenger took on him by staying for another year was really the very least Fabregas could have done.

Next summer I have no doubt that Fabregas will make the move to Barcelona, but in an era of player power it makes a refreshing change to see a player accepting the decision of his manager, keeping his head down and continuing to put in the high quality performances.

These high quality performances may just give Fabregas the only thing he has left to achieve at Arsenal, a trophy.

• Power Outage & a Blow Up Doll

Just a few moments before my Saturday looked set to be a brilliant day of football, a pursuit of all things leisurely, and with Manchester United up 3-1 away to Everton at Goodison, my power suddenly and mysteriously went out. Upon its recommence, Everton, through Tim Cahill and Mikel Arteta, had scratched themselves level while I, like United, were left in tears picking up the pieces. What was the reason for this odd occurrence with only a light rain drizzling outside? I pondered, were the football Gods whispering a sign of things to come into my ignoring ear?

All variables pointed to me being able to see out my morning without a snag. Multiple devices were plugged in and working quite well. In just a few short moments, what I had personally considered a success came crashing down upon me not unlike United’s capitulation at the hands of Everton in the final moments. United’s power outage had nothing to do with the absence of Wayne Rooney, the ill-timed distraction of an inflated blow up doll hurled upon the pitch, yet had everything to do with a mysterious twist of fate not unlike the surge of electricity towards the end of my AM that eventually fried my router, seized my Internet connection and ruined United’s, no, my morning.

What was ultimately not a sign from the football Gods but a heroic fight back from an Everton side in desperate need of points was the main theme of Saturday, while a veteran United side unable to see out what would have been an important three points away from home remains nothing short of a major power outage.

In other notable weekend occurrences of normalcy, Chelsea continued their perfect start to a new campaign through an impressive Michael Essien while West Ham remain pointless at the bottom of the table. Avram Grant, once a Champions League final manager, will now surely fight relegation all year long. Rafael van der Vaart made a decent enough debut on the left side of midfield for a Spurs side who ultimately lacked enough gusto to see off West Brom. Jermain Defoe’s absence through injury marred Spurs effectiveness in attack, yet forward thinking minds assure Spurs fans there are options left to consider.

Blackpool, The Tangerines (don’t call them Orange), continued an up-down start to the Premier League with an impressive three points gained away to Newcastle. Ian Holloway named four strikers in his starting line up against an unchanged in four Newcastle who lacked cohesion. Blackpool went into the half up by the slimmest of margins while Newcastle continually pressed throughout the second half until they were finally caught by an impressive Blackpool counter attack when DJ Campbell sealed it for The Seasiders.

Honorable Mentions -

Christopher Samba, Blackburn Rovers- If Nikola Kalinic was the effective target man up front for Blackburn, then Samba was the equally as effective rock at the center of defense who saved a point for Blackburn with his defensive prowess. Specifically, the French-born defender’s late game dive at a Jo shot that was surely goal bound from close range. It was the kind of epic, late game heroics defenders live for, while it was the aforementioned Kalinic who opened up the scoring for Blackburn as Joe Hart again proved he’s human after all.

Samba’s a big unit with natural defensive abilities. Because of his height, he’s reliable and strong in the air. Reliable enough for Sam Allardyce to make Samba Captain as Blackburn look to build on last season’s tenth place finish.

Tim Howard, Everton- The final scoreline saw Everton’s Tim Howard concede three goals to Manchester United yet Howard’s heroics in the first half kept Everton in the game as the match entered the half level. As good as great saves can possibly get, Howard produced one of sheer brilliance in the first half when a flailing right foot resulted in an unbelievable kick save from a Paul Scholes trademark blast. Precision and timing from the American who definitely did his part in the kind of hard fought draw where goals were easy to come by.

Steven Pienaar, Everton- The spry South African midfielder gave Manchester United’s defense, more specifically Gary Neville, fits during the first half of their eventual 3-3 draw on Saturday. His pace and movements cutting into the middle of the pitch were effective enough to create multiple chances on goal for Everton in the first half. If it wasn’t for some last ditch defending by United, Everton could have been 2 or 3 up early.

Pienaar deservedly opened up the scoring when he matched pace on the break with Mikel Arteta and cleaned up the rebound from an Edwin van der Sar save.

Pepe Reina, Liverpool – Lastly, the Spanish keeper had an embarrassing international break with Spain when he gifted Argentina the easiest of all goals. On Sunday away to Birmingham City, Reina was at his best. On more than one occasion, Reina made that ever so difficult low diving last ditch save a la Gordon Banks v Pele in 1970 that assured Liverpool weren’t beaten and left Birmingham with a point.

Premier League Footballer of the Week -

Cesc Fabregas, Arsenal- Arsenal produced another strong performance at home against Bolton where they hit four goals through four different goal scorers. Fabregas and Co. were brilliant on the day as Arsenal ran riot on Bolton in a complete team performance.

Tomas Rosicky was instrumental in central midfield distributing the ball and linking play to the forward Arsenal attackers. His first half ball from just inside the center circle split the Bolton defense to shreds and found Andrei Arshavin just outside the box. It was a stunning pass that the Russian should have done better with. However, what Rosicky can do, so too can Fabregas. Over the course of the full 90, Fabregas was the main creative threat for Arsenal. His perfect 57th minute cross found the head of Marouane Chamakh for Arsenal’s 2nd while he had already assisted on Arsenal’s 1st. His stunning chip ball to Carlos Vela tapped off Arsenal’s 4th and was as perfect a team goal as Premier League fans have seen this season. Fabregas back fully fit is not only an asset to the Gunners, but a credit to Premier League and football fans in general as he embodies the definition of a world class midfielder.

Will the new rule help England have success?

The squad rule was the Premier League’s answer to mounting claims that they were damaging England’s chances of success with mass foreign imports. The rule states that eight of the 25 man squad must be home-grown which means they were trained in England or Wales for three years before they were 21. In addition players under 21 do not have to be registered.

On first impressions this should help England; it means there will also be a quota of English players in any chosen squad. But this might not always be the case, as players like Cesc Fabregas count as home-grown as they were signed for Arsenal at a young age.  In addition young foreign stars like  Mario Balotelli do not have to be registered.

The system also gives no real incentive for these home-grown players to be given a spot in the first-team and the general consensus is that if English players are good enough, they will get their chance.

But this system does mean that fringe English players in the squad should get a chance to impress if injuries strike and hopefully one of them can go on to make the most of their opportunity and in years to come this good give the England manager a greater choice of Premier League players.

But it is in the long term where this is targeting success. The plan is that clubs will attempt to bring through more home-grown players in the future rather than buying players as they look to fill their quota.

However the system is flawed because clubs can continue to import foreign youngsters in to their academy as they will pass the home grown test. In addition it doesn’t really guarantee any English players will even make it in to their clubs first-team side.

Maybe this is where the rule should develop. A quota of eight English/Welsh players but with a minimum of two of these been used in the first-team for each match. This would encourage teams to bring through their own English youngsters.

But in the mean-time the FA and the Premier League must be praised for their effort even if it won’t have the total benefits suggested it can’t do any harm in the development of English youngsters which in turn can’t damage the England side.

Is it time for Arsene's stars to shine?

 For many years now we have been saying it’s a matter of time before Arsenal come good. Well after watching them grind out a result at Blackburn on Saturday maybe we won’t be waiting much longer.

The ability that Arsene Wenger’s side possess is in unquestionable. But so often the easy on the eye football hasn’t brought the required results.  But Arsenal seem to be devolving a greater resolve to their game which I suppose was inevitable the young starlets gained experience.

The likes Alex Song and Abou Diaby seem to have grown over the summer and look like they can add the support and protection for Cesc Fabregas to go on and be at his creative best.

Wenger’s major masterstroke though has been his policy over Fabregas. He made it clear that diminutive midfielder was not for sale, and what a boost it must have been for Arsenal not to lose their best player when a European superpower came calling.

But Fabregas also deserves severe praise for the way he has handled himself during the transfer saga that lasted nearly all summer. He made clear his intentions and that he wanted to leave, but has accepted Wenger’s decision. In an era of player power and reported strikes it makes a refreshing change to see somebody accept that they might not get the move they want.

 I suspect Wenger has told his star midfielder that this is the year when Arsenal finally push to make a serious challenge for some honours.

Wenger’s movement in the transfer market backs up the faith he has in his squad. Arsenal brought in experienced French defender Sébastien Squillaci and fellow countrymen Laurent Koscielny  to add competition in the centre of defence. But asides from that Arsenal’s squad is pretty similar and Wenger has once again resisted temptation to splash the cash.

The result is seven points from a start that included tricky trips to Liverpool and Blackburn. I think if you had offered an Arsenal fan four points from them two trips they would have bit your hand off before the start of the campaign.

But the acid test still awaits for Wenger’s side. Have they got enough about them to go the distance and push for the title? Only time will tell, but early signs are good for the Gunners.

The Man Who Still Holds the Key to Arsenal's Future

At first glance, this question looks bleedingly obvious. With their massive fan base, a beautiful new 60,000 plus seat stadium, and their years of success and trophies, Arsenal should be quite clearly considered to be a “big club.” For the past decade and more, they have been considered part of the so-called Big Four, along with Chelsea, Manchester United, and Liverpool. But now that old order is crumbling, and Arsenal are struggling to keep pace with the other big clubs.

Just about three weeks ago, when Tottenham Hotspur beat Arsenal, Guardian pundit (and EPL Talk award winner) Barry Glendenning made an offhanded comment that should really stick in the gut of all Arsenal fans. He stated that of course Spurs should beat us. They spend significantly more money than us on players. He’s dead right. And now it has come to this: Tottenham are on the verge of finally, and perhaps permanently, overtaking Arsenal as the dominant club in North London.

My fellow Gooners. Read that again. That should strike fear in the heart of every Arsenal fan around the globe.

But the numbers and the reality doesn’t lie. Sure, Arsenal has finished above Tottenham for 15 straight seasons. But you don’t get a trophy for that. And now that Tottenham has finally reaped Champions League riches, these days are certainly numbered as well.

Which leads me back to my original question. Can Arsenal continue to call themselves a big club over the long-term without spending the requisite money?

While Arsenal continue to stay amongst the strongest clubs in Europe on the Forbes list, they have definitely fallen behind domestic rivals Chelsea and Man U, and most certainly behind Barcelona, Real Madrid, and perhaps even Bayern Munich. With the rise of Manchester City and Spurs, it won’t be long before Arsenal find themselves behind these clubs.

But the question has to be asked: Why?

When did Arsenal fall behind to the point where they may simply not be able to keep up? Arsenal have sold big players before, most notably Nicolas Anelka. What makes them different now, and why can’t they recover?

1. Inability to Market Themselves, Especially Outside Europe. By all measures, Arsenal play the perfect style to be the most popular club in North America and Asia. They play wide open, attractive football, and their skill and talent makes crowds want to see them play, even in opposing markets. But Arsene Wenger remains very stubborn. As the Gaffer wrote just six months ago, the fact that Arsenal have not gone on such a tour is almost criminal. The fact that Arsenal have also ignored key markets in Asia, while allowing clubs such as Liverpool, Everton, and of course Chelsea and Manchester United dominate that region has been business malpractice by Arsene Wenger.

2. Smart Spending In Face of Massive Debt. This is one that i will credit Arsene for. While other clubs, most notably Manchester United And Liverpool, spent heavily in the face of massive debt, Arsenal actually made a large profit over the last three seasons, selling such luminaries as Adebayor, Flamini, and Kolo Toure. Liverpool, however, have spent freely, adding Aquilani, Torres, and others. That club may pay the ultimate price: if a new owner isn’t found soon, they may become the new Leeds, forced to sell off players and plunge through the ranks of the football league.

3. Lack of development and motivation of some key players. While I will not spend this column harking on the failure of players like Denilson or Theo Walcott to grow at the club level, it is important to note that a number of these young players have not developed in the way we all thought they would. Sure, some of it has to do with key injuries, but this can not be an excuse: it is Arsene Wenger’s job to highlight not just the top talent, but also durable talent. Every manager knows that the Premier League season is long and grueling. The manager must find players up to the task.

4. Lack of depth. Three and four are very much related. Everyone this side of Rotterdam knows that Robin van Persie gets injured. Everyone, that is, except for Arsene Wenger. When RVP is inevitably out for 3-4 months with some sort of calf/knee/ankle/foot injury, Arsene Wenger has no plan B. But the facts don’t lie. When Didier Drogba was out for a couple months, Nic Anelka was there to pick up the scoring slack. Arsenal simply have no other striker option good enough. Eduardo is not the same player he was before the injury; he may never be. Nik Bendtner is just starting to scratch the surface of his talent. At this point, however, he’s simply not a reliable option.

5. Arsene Wenger Himself. This is the one that is really hardest for me to write. But first, a confession. I generally hate all the coaches/managers of teams I root for. I have always disliked Jim Leyland, even when the Tigers made their first World Series in 22 years. My anger toward Lloyd Carr was unparalleled when he was the coach at Michigan. There has only been one coach who I have steadfastly supported: Arsene Wenger. It was hard not to. The man brought trophy after trophy to Arsenal. Every fan swore their allegiance: “In Arsene We Trust,” the banner reads behind the goal. But is Arsene Wenger really deserving of that? The past five seasons don’t lie: While the ship has been sinking, while Arsenal players struggled (especially in goal), Arsene Wenger behaved not like one of the winningest managers in history, but more like Baghdad Bob. “We have utmost confidence in (insert flopping continental keeper name here)” he would say, while that keeper flubbed one or two goals almost every game. Arsene Wenger needs someone to offset him, someone to say to him “Arsene, we really need a new keeper.” “Arsene, Silvestre and Billy Gallas aren’t good enough.” In other words, Arsene Wenger needs someone to tell him when he’s wrong. He’s been wrong on the keeper, he was wrong to not buy depth the last couple years (as stars were likely out of our price range), and he’s wrong not to strengthen the squad at the back and at the front. If Arsene Wenger is unable to notice these things on his own, he needs someone to tell him when he’s wrong. Before it’s too late.

While Cesc may walk now, and Gallas not long after, it is clear that Arsenal have a lot of decisions to make. While a lot of these fall on the shoulders of one man, it is important that he understands that his years of winning have bought him a lot of patience. But a fifth consecutive season without silverware, and a 4th without any sort of final appearance, will see the end of the patience from a lot of fans. While he can point fingers at Barcelona or Chelsea “tapping up” our players, it is clear that Arsene has not done enough to convince our players that their futures lie at Arsenal. In 2010-2011, Arsene has the chance to reverse the bleeding. If he does not, a steady and perhaps irreversible decline may be at hand at Arsenal.

Jordan Acker will continue to love his Gunners no matter what. Follow him on Twitter at @JAcker2L

So Cesc is off then. So long and thanks for all the skill, the vision and the bushy eyebrows.

Is this an Arsenal crisis in the making? Wasn’t Wenger building that team around Fabregas? How can you replace a player as good as that? It takes a lot of money. But Wenger doesn’t like to spend a lot of money – almost nobly so in fact. So how is he going to fill that Cesc-sized hole in the side? Can the likes of Nasri actually play that role as well as Fabregas? It’s far from clear.

I wonder if the problem this has created for Wenger will make him question the point of staying on at Arsenal for much longer. Let’s face it he’s spent four of five years creating the side that was nearly really good this season but which once again won nothing. In reality he’s probably only got one more season left to get it right with a new era potentially dawning soon and the arrival of a new owner who will be keen to be seen as the new conquering hero.

Wenger has built up a massive amount of capital at Arsenal and it’s been slow to be diminished but slowly it is now draining away. Fans grow restless at clubs like Arsenal without silverware; they shouldn’t but they do. Another potless season would be the breaking point for many previously loyal Wenger acolytes and how much harder will winning anything be without Fabregas in the centre, dictating things? A lot harder, I would argue.

With the pressing need for a top class goalkeeper, cover at centre half and up front and now a play maker of the highest order, there is much work for Wenger to do in the coming months and whoever he brings in will have to work straight away if he’s to keep the fans on board en masse. Suddenly, it’s looking like a major rebuild at Arsenal, not just in the first team but as crucially in the squad in case injuries, as they seem to all too frequently do at Arsenal, wreck their season again. They badly need some added depth.

If making these changes proves difficult this summer might it be time for Arsene to walk away and to look for another challenge.

His best exit strategy would be to win something next season and then bow out on top. But with the rise of Spurs and City’s money and the continued strength of Chelsea and United, it’s all looking less likely than ever. If Liverpool ever get sold and get their act together surely they couldn’t be as poor as this season and will provide yet more competition for the north Londoners.

Is Arsene up for the fight? The next couple of months could be very interesting to watch at The Emirates. Revolution may well be in the air.

If, as is his reported wish, Cesc Fabregas is sold back to Barcelona, it would without doubt be a sad moment for the Premier League. Not only would it be a damning indictment of ‘The Best League In The World Ever’ ™ that influential players from three of the traditional Big Four had gone to Real Madrid and Barcelona in less than a year, but it would also mean the loss of a stunningly complete, world class midfielder from the league’s great aesthetes. But this does not mean that Arsenal as a club would suffer greatly from his loss.

It would mean that Samir Nasri, for instance, can be moved into the centre, where he has tended to flourish. In the last 16 game against Porto at the Emirates, Nasri was moved from his shackles on the right hand side of a three – into the position usually held by Fabregas. Nasri was exceptional. Not only did he do this, he played the telling pass for Nicklas Bendtner’s first goal – the first two, key goals in overturning a first leg deficit were because of his flair and brilliance. A few years ago he was being compared in quarters to Zinedine Zidane, for his performances as the attacking thrust of Marseille’s midfield; flash points with Hull City players have shown that he does not lack confidence in himself, or fierce competitiveness.

Whilst one game is perhaps too short a sample to be able to judge Nasri as a long term replacement for Fabregas, it is not as if Arsenal are short of midfield options to currently compensate if the club captain was to leave: Abou Diaby’s brand of bandy-legged roaming, it could be argued, has been inhibited by Fabregas’s presence in the side; being forced to become the ‘in-between’ player in a midfield three has meant that moments like this (also without Fabregas) have simply not happened on a regular basis. Denilson is by no means a great player but his more languid style would perhaps be more suited with a purely creative (Nasri), or purely physical (Diaby) presence alongside him, rather than the all-round brilliance of Fabregas: the Spaniard is a better player than either aforementioned Frenchmen, but is not different enough to Denilson to be a consistently effective counterpoint. As such Denilson, as the junior player, has often played deeper and indifferently in big games. Fabregas offers the same qualities to those offered individually offered by Diaby, Denilson and Nasri to the point that finding an effective ‘third wheel’ in the Arsenal midfield has been difficult for Arsene Wenger to put together on a consistent basis.

Moreover, the financial windfall from the sale of Fabregas would enable Wenger to have greater opportunity to address the problems elsewhere in his squad: a fee surely considerably over £30m would help Wenger buy a centre half (possibly someone like Kjaer, or anyone tall and quick) who could let one of Campbell or Silvestre be put out to pasture. Wenger, with the sale of Fabregas, would have greater scope to take out the series of elephants in the room holding Arsenal back – The Goalkeepers! Hugo Lloris, Gigi Buffon, Steve Mandanda, Joe Hart and friends could be prized from their clubs, should any sale of Fabregas allow more money for transfers.

Whilst on first glance it appears bad news for all concerned if Fabregas was to leave, a hefty transfer fee may enable Wenger to dispense over the rest of the squad, as well as possibly replace Fabregas’s output from within. Some questions, such as naming a new captain (surely Arshavin or Sagna if Gallas leaves) would arise if Fabregas were to leave, but that does not necessarily mean that selling Cesc Fabregas would be a bad thing for Arsenal.

feel free to follow my infrequent tweets, ask difficult questions etc at http://twitter.com/mickyscallon