Google+
Twitter
Facebook
Delicious
Digg
Stumble
Reddit
Let no one forget that the current finalising of Fabregas’s eventual destination at the end of the summer has a déjà vu smell about it. In 2006 a certain Thierry Henry was supposedly destined for the Nou Camp. However the presence of Arsenal in the Champions League final in Paris against his intended team caused him a dilemma. Many have suggested that it was this problem that may have caused Titi emotional turmoil as he closed in on goal to try and finish a strike that would have seen us go two nil up with only 10 men on the field and some 20 minutes to play. He missed, we didn’t win and the rest as they say is history.
I will have none of it. Thierry Henry is an honest professional and his miss was just unlucky, after the game he made an emotional commitment on the Plane home to his fans stating that he would remain at Arsenal as it’s captain. Despite this, Henry was eventually sold at a knock down price of £16million to the Catalans. The parallels with Cesc Fabregas do suggest that Barca have decided upon their strategy. Barcelona will NOT pay the market fee of £35-40 million for Cesc. They cannot afford it. Finally they have to deal with existing contracts and also make sure that they qualify under the UEFA fair play rules. The suggested bid of £26 million plus players is derisory when one considers that we have yet to see the very best of Fabregas if his age is anything to go by.
Fabregas’s presence at the Spanish Grand Prix was seen by many as an insult to his team and fans. Yet I do not accept this. Yes he was injured and he should have been with his team at Fulham, but equally Cesc appears to be subject to great family pressures who appear want him to return to Barca. The ill thought out angry twitter responses by some Gooners may well have given Cesc the temptation to snub Arsene Wenger and insist upon leaving, but he should recall that the majority of fans want him to stay. Arsene Wenger should say “NON!” as did Alex Ferguson did to Real Madrid when Cristiano Ronaldo was kept for one more season before going to Real Madrid. I do not buy this pathetic excuse that we cannot keep an unhappy player. If Cesc knows that he is contracted to Arsenal Football Club and that he is not for sale, then END OF STORY. It is Arsene Wenger who has created doubt by stating “I will try hard to keep him” Does he have a contract or not FFS???
I dislike this misleading attitude from Arsenal, we saw it with the on off Adebayor transfer to AC Milan, when it was revealed that despite the public pronouncements to fans, the Club appeared to have been secretly negotiating behind the scenes to sell the player. If we have a player that we want to sell, then state the policy and the fee and deal with it, if the player is not for sale then report the intended buying club to UEFA for tapping up, its that bloody simple! My preference is to keep Fabregas as he is world class and still has very many valuable seasons to give. He can end his career with Barca AFTER we have won the Champions League. If the club do decide to sell him then it should not be for a euro less than the £35 million.
Usmanov’s offer of £14,000 per share for the remaining shares was indeed a gesture of intent. There is now a real prospect of seeing the Board having to up its game and realise that Usmanov has the right to be involved in the running of Arsenal Football club. He also has the financial might to succeed especially if Kroenke’s eventual aim is to have the club 100% in the future. Stan Kroenke will have to pay a a huge premium to secure Usmanov’s shares in the future, a price that he may not be able to afford without resorting to adding debt to the club. So this eleventh hour bid may either secure the plurality of ownership of the club which is the aim of the AST, or dependent upon what is in the offer document, it may just allow Usmanov to consolidate his share further with a future windfall in mind.
There are interesting days ahead as these matters take further twists and turns. Will Usmanov make an even higher bid to flush out Kroenke? If Mr Kroenke sees his stake in Arsenal in purely business terms, then he will sell up and move on. However if he really is determined to make Arsenal his own no matter what, then he will stay put. My instincts are that Mr Kroenke will sit on his hands, as the club is his and his alone based upon his current shareholding, and to sell out to Usmanov would leave his reputation as an honest broker in tatters.
FTK {jcomments on}
loading...
Defeat Man United or Forget Champions League?
Arsenal Names Squad For Asia Tour
Bendtner wants out of Arsenal for good
All hail Thierry Henry’s second coming at Arsenal
Does Chamakh have a future at Arsenal?
Loading ...