When Cesc Fabregas left Arsenal for Barcelona after eight years with the club in 2011, the Spanish star left a hole in the Gunners’ lineup that the club has struggled to fill.
Now, Arsene Wenger may be able to bring him back to help compensate for the offense the team lost when Robin van Persie departed for Manchester United a year ago.
Fabregas, who less than two years ago was named to the Team of the Tournament at Euro 2012 as part of Spain’s championship squad, has gone from being one of the Premier League’s rising young stars to an afterthought with Barcelona, so it seems logical that a change is on the way. Barcelona’s wildly disappointing performance in the Champions League and La Liga will undoubtedly lead to some player movement on the transfer market. A spare part for Barcelona would be a standout on virtually any other European team, so Fabregas would have no shortage of suitors.
After a roller coaster end to a season for Arsenal, it’s been a successful year but the club having persevered to remain fourth in the Premier League table and the nine years wait for a trophy finally over.
But Arsenal’s goal has always been to stay competitive with the league’s elite teams in Manchester United, Chelsea, Manchester City and even Liverpool, and unless Wenger can secure some game-changing talent at season’s end, it’s difficult to envision the Gunners being able to keep pace.
Losing Van Persie obviously hurt, but if Fabregas is indeed available, Wenger would have the opportunity to reacquire a dynamic midfielder who has scored 42 goals and provided 48 assists in three seasons in La Liga and, more importantly, creates opportunities for those around him.
According to reports, Wenger would “jump at the chance” to bring Fabregas back, and the move could be mutually beneficial. If Fabregas’ priority is to be a key member on the Spanish World Cup squad in 2014 by moving to a quality club that can provide him with steadier playing time, while still contending for league titles, Arsenal makes sense.
With Aaron Ramsey, Mesut Ozil and Santi Cazorla all signed to be Gunners for the foreseeable future, it’s not as if Fabregas wouldn’t have help moving the ball up the field, and as was the case in the past, Fabregas has all the tools to be the Gunners’ catalyst offensively.
At 27, Fabregas is too young to be a substitute, even at Barcelona, because he’s simply too gifted at both ends of the pitch to not be playing regularly at this stage of his career and Wenger should recognise that if Fabregas is pondering a return to England, Arsenal will more than likely be near the top of his list.
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Photo via Ronnie MacDonald