Exams are all but over and the World Cup is on the horizon. Arsenal's FA Cup victory is starting to sink in as the serious business begins now. Buy the right players this summer, and Arsenal will be challenging for titles just like the good old days. Our season will not be won here, but it can sure as hell be lost if we do not seal the deals.
Every year, the transfer rumour mill is kicked into full flow even before the window officially opens. As far as Arsenal rumours go, very few have any substance to them, and even fewer tend to make the fans genuinely excited. But one transfer in particular is causing absolute meltdown in the Gooner community.
Never have words on a television screen or newspaper caused me physical, nauseating pain. Last year, a lower-profile case of Cesc Fabregas rumours were shrugged off without any doubt of "El Capitan"'s loyalty to hometown club Barcelona, and the love for his adopted Arsenal. But now, a double dose of Chelsea talks and The Gunners refusing to activate his exclusive buy-back clause, just makes me sick.
I am not having a go at anyone here, mainly because nothing has happened yet, nor do the answers to Arsenal's dreams lie with Fabregas. This is not so much a case of Cesc not coming back to the Emirates Stadium, but more of a fear of someone who was once - and still is - an idol to me, and many other Gooners, being sold to a big rival, tarnishing every great memory he gave us over his eight years at Arsenal.
His love for Arsenal is unequivocal, as is the fans' love for him in return. The tragedy is the situation has been forced upon the club and the player - with seemingly no way out - as Arsene Wenger looks set not to be forced into the most emotional reunion since Thierry Henry's comeback, just for the sake of it. Barcelona do not want him and Chelsea are keen, meaning it is down to us to either activate the buy-back clause or not.
To be fair to Wenger, for such a massive decision to be shouldered upon him through circumstances out of his control and go against the easier, more romantic option takes some guts, and I applaud him for that. However, this decision could mean Arsenal pay a very heavy price - literally - either way.
On paper, it seems like a no-brainer. Cesc Fabregas - one of the most talented midfielders in the world - is being sold by Barcelona, and we can get a cut-price, buy-back deal on him and still make a profit from his initial sale. He would fit right into our team; Arsenal's style of play suits Cesc more (and yes, it is different), and he wants to come.
If the reports are accurate, it looks like Wenger is set to break his heart. The fantastic footballer that he created is going to get the cold shoulder. What an incredibly bold move to make for the sake of the team. Most fans - and probably Wenger included - would take him in a heartbeat - but is that where our priorities lie?
That is a much simpler answer to give - an absolute no. We were one world-class striker away from a title-winning squad. Now is the time to go and get one. If Wenger refuses to give the fans Fabregas back, you can bet he is going to get someone to win us the title instead; find a new hero for us fans to drool over. Add to that another right-back to allow for Bacary Sagna's inevitable departure and one more defensive midfielder to freshen up our aging CDMs. Then we need to sort out a proper No. 2 for Wojciech Szczesny to contend with. Only then can we start to strengthen the squad players. The starters must be the priority.
On the other hand, with that said, how much money do Arsenal really have these days? Are we really going to be in a position where Arsene actually goes out and buys these players we really need? Are we going to be left £30m short once the transfer activity we do take part in is over? Is there any way that adding Fabregas to the team will hinder it? Nobody loses if Cesc was to return - he gets what he wants and Chelsea have other targets - and Cesc is NOT a Chelsea player. It will truly be a sad sight - and we are the only ones standing in Jose Mourinho's way.
It will be seeing Cesc in a Chelsea shirt that will hurt me the most. What will hurt me even more is if the fans turn on him when we play them. Joining Chelsea will sever all ties Cesc ever had with Arsenal for me; he no longer remains one of those special players that we will always love. I will never forget those special moments he gave us, but I would never be able - even if I wanted - to look at him in the same way again. But I could never bring myself to boo him. He is no Van Persie or Nasri. Just pure silence would be more appropriate. This situation is not his fault. What is the poor lad supposed to do?
For me, it is that classic cliche: my heart says buy him, my head says get the people we need first. Fabregas will not solve all our problems. But then again, it is more complicated than that. Why not buy him in order to stop him going to Chelsea? There is no reason why he will not do well over there. Just because we do not need him, does not necessarily mean we should not get him.
Manchester United were not in any desperate need of a striker before they bought Robin Van Persie, and he won them the league. Can Fabregas have that kind of impact here? If injuries hit like they did last year, he can. Would it be against Wenger's principles to buy a player in order to weaken a rival? I suspect that may very well be the case.
Wenger must have enormous faith in Cazorla and Arteta, who will both be over 30 by next year. Let us not forget Fabregas can also do a job from deep when required - he can ping a ball to anyone from anywhere. The man is a genius. An absolute genius.
Writing this, I feel like it is a load of dribble, having stayed up well into the early hours to finish an essay last night and I still feel like I am in waffling mode. I could genuinely go on for days going over the ifs and buts and the shoulds and shouldn'ts of this massive dilemma facing Arsenal and Fabregas at the moment, but I suppose the bottom line is that we cannot let emotional circumstances affect our transfer dealings - we can build a title-winning side over the next few months - and that beats a reunion party any day of the week.
So it looks as if we will be in mourning as a club hero degenerates into an ordinary past player. And if we manage to achieve our transfer goals by the end of August, we will be hoping that we can forget that this little episode ever existed, come May.
Come On You Reds!
Every year, the transfer rumour mill is kicked into full flow even before the window officially opens. As far as Arsenal rumours go, very few have any substance to them, and even fewer tend to make the fans genuinely excited. But one transfer in particular is causing absolute meltdown in the Gooner community.
Never have words on a television screen or newspaper caused me physical, nauseating pain. Last year, a lower-profile case of Cesc Fabregas rumours were shrugged off without any doubt of "El Capitan"'s loyalty to hometown club Barcelona, and the love for his adopted Arsenal. But now, a double dose of Chelsea talks and The Gunners refusing to activate his exclusive buy-back clause, just makes me sick.
I am not having a go at anyone here, mainly because nothing has happened yet, nor do the answers to Arsenal's dreams lie with Fabregas. This is not so much a case of Cesc not coming back to the Emirates Stadium, but more of a fear of someone who was once - and still is - an idol to me, and many other Gooners, being sold to a big rival, tarnishing every great memory he gave us over his eight years at Arsenal.
His love for Arsenal is unequivocal, as is the fans' love for him in return. The tragedy is the situation has been forced upon the club and the player - with seemingly no way out - as Arsene Wenger looks set not to be forced into the most emotional reunion since Thierry Henry's comeback, just for the sake of it. Barcelona do not want him and Chelsea are keen, meaning it is down to us to either activate the buy-back clause or not.
To be fair to Wenger, for such a massive decision to be shouldered upon him through circumstances out of his control and go against the easier, more romantic option takes some guts, and I applaud him for that. However, this decision could mean Arsenal pay a very heavy price - literally - either way.
On paper, it seems like a no-brainer. Cesc Fabregas - one of the most talented midfielders in the world - is being sold by Barcelona, and we can get a cut-price, buy-back deal on him and still make a profit from his initial sale. He would fit right into our team; Arsenal's style of play suits Cesc more (and yes, it is different), and he wants to come.
If the reports are accurate, it looks like Wenger is set to break his heart. The fantastic footballer that he created is going to get the cold shoulder. What an incredibly bold move to make for the sake of the team. Most fans - and probably Wenger included - would take him in a heartbeat - but is that where our priorities lie?
That is a much simpler answer to give - an absolute no. We were one world-class striker away from a title-winning squad. Now is the time to go and get one. If Wenger refuses to give the fans Fabregas back, you can bet he is going to get someone to win us the title instead; find a new hero for us fans to drool over. Add to that another right-back to allow for Bacary Sagna's inevitable departure and one more defensive midfielder to freshen up our aging CDMs. Then we need to sort out a proper No. 2 for Wojciech Szczesny to contend with. Only then can we start to strengthen the squad players. The starters must be the priority.
On the other hand, with that said, how much money do Arsenal really have these days? Are we really going to be in a position where Arsene actually goes out and buys these players we really need? Are we going to be left £30m short once the transfer activity we do take part in is over? Is there any way that adding Fabregas to the team will hinder it? Nobody loses if Cesc was to return - he gets what he wants and Chelsea have other targets - and Cesc is NOT a Chelsea player. It will truly be a sad sight - and we are the only ones standing in Jose Mourinho's way.
It will be seeing Cesc in a Chelsea shirt that will hurt me the most. What will hurt me even more is if the fans turn on him when we play them. Joining Chelsea will sever all ties Cesc ever had with Arsenal for me; he no longer remains one of those special players that we will always love. I will never forget those special moments he gave us, but I would never be able - even if I wanted - to look at him in the same way again. But I could never bring myself to boo him. He is no Van Persie or Nasri. Just pure silence would be more appropriate. This situation is not his fault. What is the poor lad supposed to do?
For me, it is that classic cliche: my heart says buy him, my head says get the people we need first. Fabregas will not solve all our problems. But then again, it is more complicated than that. Why not buy him in order to stop him going to Chelsea? There is no reason why he will not do well over there. Just because we do not need him, does not necessarily mean we should not get him.
Manchester United were not in any desperate need of a striker before they bought Robin Van Persie, and he won them the league. Can Fabregas have that kind of impact here? If injuries hit like they did last year, he can. Would it be against Wenger's principles to buy a player in order to weaken a rival? I suspect that may very well be the case.
Wenger must have enormous faith in Cazorla and Arteta, who will both be over 30 by next year. Let us not forget Fabregas can also do a job from deep when required - he can ping a ball to anyone from anywhere. The man is a genius. An absolute genius.
Writing this, I feel like it is a load of dribble, having stayed up well into the early hours to finish an essay last night and I still feel like I am in waffling mode. I could genuinely go on for days going over the ifs and buts and the shoulds and shouldn'ts of this massive dilemma facing Arsenal and Fabregas at the moment, but I suppose the bottom line is that we cannot let emotional circumstances affect our transfer dealings - we can build a title-winning side over the next few months - and that beats a reunion party any day of the week.
So it looks as if we will be in mourning as a club hero degenerates into an ordinary past player. And if we manage to achieve our transfer goals by the end of August, we will be hoping that we can forget that this little episode ever existed, come May.
Come On You Reds!
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