Cesc off if Arsene is? 5 June, 2007

We all know that Cesc Fabregas loves Arsenal and is not going to be leaving but he’s just come out saying his commitment lies with Arsene Wenger more than the club. He just signed and eight-year deal recently but he has revealed that if the Manager goes, he will have to consider his future.

With David Dein leaving not so long ago, there’s been a bit of speculation about Arsene’s future. He’s meant to be selecting Dein’s replacement this summer but it’s unlikely he will be able to strike up the same sort of relationship he had with David with this new guy. I think I remember a few seasons ago Arsene saying that he would like to get us settled into the new stadium, and then move on. I think there would be a couple of players that would have a think about their Arsenal future if the great Arsene Wenger was to leave. He will one day.

It’s quite scary as a Gooner but there’s nothing we can really do about it. We just have to hope our players love Arsenal not Arsene. Cesc is a very big part of our future and I don’t really want to think about the possibility of him leaving.

Apart from the usual crap about Henry there’s a transfer link for Bakari Sagna. The Auxerre defender has set his sights on the Premiership and his agent has confirmed he wants to leave Auxerre and go to England. Whether or not we’re looking at him is another story, do we need him? Probably not. But we’ve been linked with him and now I’m just telling you.

One of our most promising youngsters, Fran Merida has caught the attention of Athletico Madrid. They are interested in a possible loan deal for next season, we would never sell him and I think Athletico have noted that. A good move for him? Well the lure of possible top-flight Spanish football is quite a good thing and the experience would do him a lot of good. However we’ve seen in recent years how Spanish players find it difficult to adapt to the Premiership and if Fran got used to La Liga then it might not be so much of a good thing.

Over on the other side of Madrid, Jose Reyes is focused on the remainder of the season and will think about his future when it finishes. In a few weeks he’s officially an Arsenal player again but don’t expect him to return to North London. He’s already said he wants to stay in Spain. Maybe he’ll join up with Merida at Athletico next season.

Thanks for reading