Hello and welcome to the new FA Daily here at Fansided.
My name is Sam McPhee and I will be the new editor/head writer here. If you’re a big Phil King fan don’t worry, he will still be contributing as he always did, but we really want to get this blog going so I’m going to do my best to make sure that happens.
I’m 20 years old, live in Australia and have played and watched football for 15 years. You’ll understand very quickly, if you haven’t already from the title of this story, that I am a passionate Arsenal fan, one that is growing very tired. But I will not let that get in the way from providing fair judgement and opinion on what’s going on in the game.
Here at the FA Daily we will cover all the big issues happening around the world, which as now is the off season consists strongly of transfers and rumours. We will provide daily coverage of all the big rumours happening around the world, particularly in the English Premier League. Once the season starts up again there will be coverage of all the major leagues and what is going on around the world, but there will be a finer focus on the EPL, so if that’s your league this is the right place to come.
Now to Barcelona.
Over the last 12-18 months, as we all know Barcelona have been chasing their former academy prodigy Cesc Fabregas. Of course Fabregas is now one of the most established and admired players not only in the EPL, but in world football. He captains Arsenal, he won a world cup with Spain and has won countless individual awards. He is only 24 but has accomplished so much in his short career. But for Cesc Fabregas that should not be enough.
He has spoken out on his desire to win trophies and has expressed discomfort at Arsenal’s lack of ability to provide these. Whilst that is all fair, we never saw him speaking negatively before Barcelona came along.
Fabregas left Barcelona in 2003, feeling like he was not receiving the opportunities he thought he deserved. Barcelona really showed no fight in letting him go, so he joined Arsenal and has never looked back.
Personally I am sick of the whole saga and I just want it ended. Fabregas is one of my favourite players and has been for a very long time. The club will no doubt be worse without him, but if a player doesn’t want to be there, I can’t think of a reason to keep him. Only bad will come of it.
That doesn’t excuse Barcelona. Long have they been let off for all the tapping and illegalities they participate in, simply because they win trophies and make FIFA look good. They make UEFA look good. The powers that be will never change their stance on the Catalans because the benefits they get from a strong Barcelona are greater than any scandals involving the team. The fact UNICEF hold the sponsorship for Barcelona’s jersey even further reinforces the brown nosing that is a two way street between the Spanish champions and the people that run the game.
Barcelona have done it for years and they will continue to do it. They use the media and their own players to create uncertainty, discomfort and dissatisfaction between other clubs and their players. No one else acts like Barcelona.
I have no doubts Rosell and the rest of the Barca board actively tell their players to go out and make statements on players, create lies to help their cause and infuriate the other teams. They have been doing it for at least a year with Fabregas, maybe even longer.
What I don’t understand is that if Barcelona saw then what we did in Fabregas, why did they let him go? If the team had so much faith in him, as they apparently do now, surely he would have been someone they tried to keep? But they showed no fight at the time and have not spoken of him until a year ago. Now he is proven to be one of the best players in the world all of a sudden he is ‘rightfully their player’ and ‘needs to come home’ and apparently wants all of this.
You have no idea what to believe because the Barcelona idiots like Puyol and Pique come out with comments on the situation more often than they play games. Fabregas rarely speaks of any of this and when he does he insists he is still happy at Arsenal. So maybe Barcelona are more full of shit than we know.
Regardless of all of that, I do believe Arsenal should sell him. The worry I have is that Wenger will not use the money to find a replacement. The money is another issue. Barcelona claim they should not have to pay as much on him because he is rightfully their player. That is the biggest load of shit I have ever heard, so I won’t go there. They also had the audacity to say his value is much lower because he is older and has more wear and tear. I will hold back from exploding over that, because it’s just too stupid to reply to.
Ronaldo is sold for 80 million. Fernando Torres moves for 50 million. Andy Carroll transfers for 35 million. Fabregas offer Arsenal 27 million for their captain, a 24 year old super star who has won more trophies than people do in their entire careers. I understand there is a ridiculous mark up and inflation within the premier league of selling players, particularly if they are English, but how Barcelona can justify a 30 million transfer for a player like Cesc Fabregas is unbelievable.
They will get their man, and they will again get away with the illegalities involved in the transfers. They have no respect for the integrity of the game. Who cares if they play great football and win lots of trophies. A true champion is judged by their character, their heart and their depth. In these categories, Barcelona have failed.