Fabregas goes to Barca for £35million

Quote:

---

Barcelona president Sandro Rosell is so concerned about the reported €450 million worth of debts the Primera Division champions have run up that he has banned colour photocopies at the Camp Nou in order to save money on toner.

With coffers so bare it's no wonder that Rosell said repeatedly this week that he won't spend any more than €40 million on perpetual transfer target Cesc Fabregas (that's a lot of photocopies) and it also explains why Alexis Sanchez's €30 million move (forget photocopies: pass me the Etch A Sketch!) from Udinese is taking so long.

Rosell blames the club's current cashflow issues on his predecessor, Joan Laporta, and when asked how he could get the club back into the black he said: "By being austere, hard and losing friends. We are suffering with it. We removed the catering events, our bodyguards, and we have even stopped making photocopies in colour at the club. Now we do black and white and save on toner."

However, in the true spirit of the debt-laden approach to modern football, Rosell insisted the club still have transfer funds available. "We negotiated a syndicate credit with the bank ... We have sorted out the situation and what the economic area has achieved means we have €45 million to spend on transfers this summer plus sales."

---

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns...r-paul?cc=4716

Bunch of fucking clowns.

spare me the sob story

pay up or shut up:threaten:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Boss

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns...r-paul?cc=4716

Bunch of fucking clowns.

---

there is the real reason, they don't want to pay 6p million for cesc not because they don't want to because they can't afford too.

tell them to feck off and flog him to jose m

AMBITION: Appreciation of being at the starting gate with potentially one of the best midfield pairings in the history of football, most likely the future national captains of Spain and England, Cesc Fabregas and Jack Wilshere respectively. Two of the most naturally gifted footballers on the planet and, if Wenger can build the team around them instead of fucking around, a possible route back to the joyfully brilliant and WINNING football we surely all want to see.

LACK OF AMBITION: Trying to get as much money as we can for our best player. If Cesc goes then we are in the wilderness for years, not because he's irreplaceable (although I doubt one of the 2-3 players on the planet who could replace him will be available or affordable) but because our new owner is effectively agreeing with the disastrous (look at our on-field results) policy of selling our best players in order to maintain a healthy balance sheet. If Cesc goes then we can kiss goodbye to success at this club for as long as Krusty and the gang stick around, which could be a long, long time.

If it's true that we only want £44mill for Fabregas then we're a laughing stock of a club. A complete fucking joke outfit.

We're negotiating with Barca. We're trying to sell Cesc.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Niall_Quinn

AMBITION: Appreciation of being at the starting gate with potentially one of the best midfield pairings in the history of football, most likely the future national captains of Spain and England, Cesc Fabregas and Jack Wilshere respectively. Two of the most naturally gifted footballers on the planet and, if Wenger can build the team around them instead of fucking around, a possible route back to the joyfully brilliant and WINNING football we surely all want to see.

LACK OF AMBITION: Trying to get as much money as we can for our best player. If Cesc goes then we are in the wilderness for years, not because he's irreplaceable (although I doubt one of the 2-3 players on the planet who could replace him will be available or affordable) but because our new owner is effectively agreeing with the disastrous (look at our on-field results) policy of selling our best players in order to maintain a healthy balance sheet. If Cesc goes then we can kiss goodbye to success at this club for as long as Krusty and the gang stick around, which could be a long, long time.

If it's true that we only want £44mill for Fabregas then we're a laughing stock of a club. A complete fucking joke outfit.

---

£44M would be a reasonable fee imo. The problem is that we're unlikely to add that fee to the transfer kitty, and thus we will be significantly weakened.

Here's hoping Barca fail with their bids and we add some much-needed quality players to those we already have.

It wont be anywhere near £44m if Cesc goes.

The fee will be closer to what Barca want to spend rather than what we want.

You can bank on that

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Power_n_Glory

We're negotiating with Barca. We're trying to sell Cesc.

---

Sauce or gtfo.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Power_n_Glory

We're negotiating with Barca. We're trying to sell Cesc.

---

which is right up our alley... as opposed to shelling out 50mil on two renowned classy players to supplement what we've already got and to show we mean some fu*cking business.

however, this will be too risky -- we'd rather buy unknows and let them make their name with us a season or so then "reluctantly" flog them off; we then hit the REPEAT BUTTON. :jumpnana:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Save me Jeebus!

Sauce or gtfo.

---

Are we really in the running or just playing ketchup?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Save me Jeebus!

Sauce or gtfo.

---

There is no firm statement from the club saying he's not for sale, we've just said they've been in touch and we've been waiting for them to make a bid. Barca have been making noise about not being able to pay £40m for him. If they raise the money, Cesc is gone.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Power_n_Glory

There is no firm statement from the club saying he's not for sale, we've just said they've been in touch and we've been waiting for them to make a bid. Barca have been making noise about not being able to pay £40m for him. If they raise the money, Cesc is gone.

---

Thats a bit different from what you said though. Were not negotiating with them. We have said that they have made a verbal offer for him which we turned down. We all know about that :shrug:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Save me Jeebus!

Thats a bit different from what you said though. Were not negotiating with them. We have said that they have made a verbal offer for him which we turned down. We all know about that :shrug:

---

That is part of negotiating. They've been in contact with the club and now have come back with an offer. We've turned the offer down but that doesn't mean we won't sell Cesc to them. When they tried to contact us we should have told them to f... off. Last season, Barca weren't talking about money, they were saying we didn't want to sell and there was no talk of a fee.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by budesonide

which is right up our alley... as opposed to shelling out 50mil on two renowned classy players to supplement what we've already got and to show we mean some fu*cking business.

however, this will be too risky -- we'd rather buy unknows and let them make their name with us a season or so then "reluctantly" flog them off; we then hit the REPEAT BUTTON. :jumpnana:

---

I agree, for all the big noise coming out about strengthening the team it looks like we're just doing the usual. Flogging our best player and buying over-priced and untested kids and nobodies. We are competing against mid tables clubs in the transfer market, none of the top clubs want our targets - if you exclude the never going to happen stuff coming out about players like Benzema and Falcao.

Our song should be, "Whoooo the fuck, who the fucking hell are you....?"

Cesc is probably worth £60 - £65mill when you consider his existing contract, the value he'll have to Barcelona in terms of one of the very few viable replacements for Xavi and, of course, the fact he's one of the top players in the world. That's why we'll let him go cheap just so the grubby cunts in the boardroom can make more announcements about how they are much admired and loved by banks and property developers.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Niall_Quinn

Cesc is probably worth £60 - £65mill when you consider his existing contract, the value he'll have to Barcelona in terms of one of the very few viable replacements for Xavi and, of course, the fact he's one of the top players in the world.

---

:gp:

Exactly! I dont understand how many on here and the papers just value Cesc between 35-40 million Euros!! This Sanchez kid at Udinese looks good but had one good season while Cesc has had 6 top seasons at Arsenal and is a world cup & Euro Cup winner. Plus he is a CM and he will be at the top of his trade till he hits 32-33 (assuming injury doesnt kill his career). If Torres after having one and a half good seasons can be 50 million quid, Cesc definitely has to be more! If we get anything less than 50 million quid for him, its a bad bit of business.. PERIOD!

Some might argue that its not good to keep an unhappy player. Well, he seems to be an intelligent chap. If he can see in the papers that Barcelona value him like shit, why is he still so desperate to go there?! If I were him, I'd want to be valued the right amount. I'd rather have him join Madrid for his sake and also to fuck Barca up! IF he still wants to be a petulant fuck, bench him and show that no one is bigger than the club! Arsenal FC has been around for more than 100 years, players will always come and go.

I think Barca reckon they have some sort of divine right to get him for what they want because we took him from under their noses. In this current market, Cesc is worth twice what they have offered, if they don't understand that they should fuck off because even though Cesc wants to go, his statement the other week suggests that he understands why we're not caving in and he's not going to force a move.

I personally hope Barca get their shit together and offer something like 40m+, because I'd prefer it if we sold him.

Alternatively, hopefully Real Madrid offer something stupid. :pray:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Marc Overmars

I think Barca reckon they have some sort of divine right to get him for what they want because we took him from under their noses. In this current market, Cesc is worth twice what they have offered, if they don't understand that they should fuck off because even though Cesc wants to go, his statement the other week suggests that he understands why we're not caving in and he's not going to force a move.

I personally hope Barca get their shit together and offer something like 40m+, because I'd prefer it if we sold him.

Alternatively, hopefully Real Madrid offer something stupid. :pray:

---

Problem is Cesc wants to go to Barca so that woul be in their favour. Just wish AW would grow a pair stop treating this lad liek a loyal son and do whats best for the club not the player.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Charlie the Gooner

Problem is Cesc wants to go to Barca so that woul be in their favour. Just wish AW would grow a pair stop treating this lad liek a loyal son and do whats best for the club not the player.

---

What do you mean?

This is the problem - there seems to be no easy solution to this. Sell him, we weaken the team - though some debate this. Or there will be criticism over the value- if Barca valuations are the basis for the deal. And we are to an extent hampered by Barca seemingly being the only destination he would move to.

If we keep him - it could be against his will and consequently affect his performance, or he could be on his way to being a crock and an expensive liability.

There are a multitude of other variables making any action by the Club fraught with risks.

That said, it could be argued that the Club have handled it very well already as we are only in this position as a result of getting his signature on a LT contract meaning we can take a risk on him for up to another two seasons without having to give in to an undervaluation.

The Cesc Saga, and a saga is what it has most definitely become is fraught with risks,

1) if we decide to hold on to him, I worry whether it will be detremental for the club, I dont see Cesc putting in the string of quality performances that we have been used to seeing him put in (last season not included) - I believe this will affect the team in an area which we are fragile enough as it is - spirit
2) a failure to inspire will affect Cescs ability to be a captain, something some have doubted - RvP would get the nod from the current group or Verms
3) by keeping hold of Cesc we lose out on a bit of a windfall in transfer funds, as it is quite obvious that money needs to be spent on the team, it is now obvious that Cesc alone is not enough to compete and first and foremost we need to spend on defence but even that may not enough - we may not have enough money for much else
5) if we sell Cesc we could pay for the defence and then look to improve other areas, it was obvious that we can score and win games without him - selling Cesc for 30-40 mil pounds not euro would allow us to build a more balanced TEAM

Would it be a crazy thought to get in Cahill or Samba and sell Cesc to provide to pay Everton what they want for Fellain? we would still have money for more and tbh I think a motivated Nasri would do well in Cescs position

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/3277/...a-fans-discuss

Barcunt fans split over Cesc

I found this comment very interesting:
Ceci - "Spending is bad for the club"

Cesc is a good player and he would be useful because Xavi can't play all of the games. But Barcelona shouldn't be spending so much money on a player who isn't a priority; the club is closing down its sections in other sports* and then want to spend €35m (£31.1m) to €40m (£35.6m) on one player who might not even start. That's not right.

*Ceci is a former hockey player for Barcelona

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Grimandi's Perm

What do you mean?

---

I mean AW should do whats best for the club in terms or if madrid were to offer say 50 million or more he should take it instead of worrying about where Cesc wants to go.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Charlie the Gooner

I mean AW should do whats best for the club in terms or if madrid were to offer say 50 million or more he should take it instead of worrying about where Cesc wants to go.

---

Agreed, and I suspect that Arsenal would take 50 million.

I was watching this programme about Big Tone on ESPN this morning (had recorded it) in an attempt to re-ignite my dwindling love for the game.

It didn't really work. It was just a painful trip down memory lane. Painful because of what is happening right now with the captaincy. Using the armband to bribe a want-away player just to hold on to him for a couple more seasons. For the player himself to just go through a summer of silence, wilfully letting these media hacks concoct any story they like.

It's a shame. Adams was captain at 21. He stayed. He didn't attract attention from other clubs, and maybe that's the difference. Or maybe it was a gulf of difference in attitude. And therein lies the rub.

taking the money for Cesc now for me makes more sense now.......he's not going to go to PL team so we have little to worry bout in a footballing sense, whether he goes to Barca or Madrid makes little consequence to me......except whether it means getting more money from one rather than the other, the money from his transfer should go into the rebuilding of Arsenal on the pitch

and even if he stays I am not sure that leving him as captain is the wisest move........I mean what kind of captain disapperas for the final game and moreover there was talk that he was taking a break in Spain

RvP is my first choice or Verms as my second

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Ernesto

I was watching this programme about Big Tone on ESPN this morning (had recorded it) in an attempt to re-ignite my dwindling love for the game.

It didn't really work. It was just a painful trip down memory lane. Painful because of what is happening right now with the captaincy. Using the armband to bribe a want-away player just to hold on to him for a couple more seasons. For the player himself to just go through a summer of silence, wilfully letting these media hacks concoct any story they like.

It's a shame. Adams was captain at 21. He stayed. He didn't attract attention from other clubs, and maybe that's the difference. Or maybe it was a gulf of difference in attitude. And therein lies the rub.

---

I felt somewhat similar after watching a programme on Bergkamp. That said, back in the day I definitely was aware I was watching a golden age which I knew would not be maintained forever. While I have little time for fans who will accept nothing less than the standard that was set by the likes of Bergkamp, Henry, Pires, Vieira and Adams, I never thought it would sink this far this fast.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Japan Shaking All Over

taking the money for Cesc now for me makes more sense now.......he's not going to go to PL team so we have little to worry bout in a footballing sense, whether he goes to Barca or Madrid makes little consequence to me......except whether it means getting more money from one rather than the other, the money from his transfer should go into the rebuilding of Arsenal on the pitch

and even if he stays I am not sure that leving him as captain is the wisest move........I mean what kind of captain disapperas for the final game and moreover there was talk that he was taking a break in Spain

RvP is my first choice or Verms as my second

---

RVP is a bad choice. He's a striker for one, gets frustrated very easily and isn't always inspirational or productive when he's in that state, and last but not least, he's probably just as annoyed as Cesc with the club.

During his last contract talks he was saying we need to match his 'sporting ambition' before he signs a new deal. He seems like a stand up guy, but if a top club really wanted him, I think he'd also consider a move. Cesc is the only player that has a top club after him at the moment. The loyalty of the majority of our players has never been seriously tested.

RVP just came back from holiday with Cesc and I'd find it hard to believe that he and Cesc never spoke about Arsenal and the frustration of not winning a trophy in years. All is not well with the club and passing on the armband won't make a difference. I thought Nasri was happy to stay here some months back and now look. The disease will spread if the club fail to act this summer.

Allegedly Fabregas is now on holiday with Puyol and Pique. This is from the Daily Mail's report about Arsenal going for Juan Mata:
Reports in Spain on Sunday evening suggested that Fabregas, currently on holiday in Ibiza with Barca's Carles Pulyol and Gerard Piquet, will refuse to return to Arsenal for pre-season training on July 5.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/foo...#ixzz1QQMzAjYx

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Toronto Gooner

Allegedly Fabregas is now on holiday with Puyol and Pique. This is from the Daily Mail's report about Arsenal going for Juan Mata:
Reports in Spain on Sunday evening suggested that Fabregas, currently on holiday in Ibiza with Barca's Carles Pulyol and Gerard Piquet, will refuse to return to Arsenal for pre-season training on July 5.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/foo...#ixzz1QQMzAjYx

---

"Reports in Spain ...". Stopped reading there.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Power_n_Glory

RVP is a bad choice. He's a striker for one, gets frustrated very easily and isn't always inspirational or productive when he's in that state, and last but not least, he's probably just as annoyed as Cesc with the club.

During his last contract talks he was saying we need to match his 'sporting ambition' before he signs a new deal. He seems like a stand up guy, but if a top club really wanted him, I think he'd also consider a move. Cesc is the only player that has a top club after him at the moment. The loyalty of the majority of our players has never been seriously tested.


RVP just came back from holiday with Cesc and I'd find it hard to believe that he and Cesc never spoke about Arsenal and the frustration of not winning a trophy in years. All is not well with the club and passing on the armband won't make a difference. I thought Nasri was happy to stay here some months back and now look. The disease will spread if the club fail to act this summer.

---

although strikers are not your natural choice as a captain, there is nothing written that they can't be one and do a good job at the same time.......Shearer was not a bad captain in fact he was a (very) good one, my only worry would be whether the extra responsibility affects a player's form

RvP has his petulant moments I agree but he shows far more commitment than the majority that I saw playing for us last year, especially as the season was drawing to a close, without his goals we would have been in an even bigger mess than we ended up in and CL would have been taken out of the equation, which might be the only draw we can offer to potential transfer targets come this summer. The captain armband may bring out a more mature Robin......but then maybe it could back fire.......leadership is what we need on the pitch and I am not sure if Cesc brings that or will do in the event of hime putting up with another season of Wengerball.......show me the player with the leadership qualities we need and I will lend my support to him, I do think Verms could do a job as well if not RvP but I have to rack my brians to come up with another......Jacks too young

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Japan Shaking All Over

although strikers are not your natural choice as a captain, there is nothing written that they can't be one and do a good job at the same time.......Shearer was not a bad captain in fact he was a (very) good one, my only worry would be whether the extra responsibility affects a player's form

RvP has his petulant moments I agree but he shows far more commitment than the majority that I saw playing for us last year, especially as the season was drawing to a close, without his goals we would have been in an even bigger mess than we ended up in and CL would have been taken out of the equation, which might be the only draw we can offer to potential transfer targets come this summer. The captain armband may bring out a more mature Robin......but then maybe it could back fire.......leadership is what we need on the pitch and I am not sure if Cesc brings that or will do in the event of hime putting up with another season of Wengerball.......show me the player with the leadership qualities we need and I will lend my support to him, I do think Verms could do a job as well if not RvP but I have to rack my brians to come up with another......Jacks too young

---

That was the same sort of argument we were putting forwards for making Cesc captain. It’s not always a good idea to always give the armband to our best player on the field. The burden weighs them down sometimes. It happened with Henry and it’s happening with Cesc. You never know, RVP could be the guy to be captain but it’s not always good to make that judgment based on performances on the pitch. It’s where we’ve gone wrong in the past.

Verm might not be a bad choice. I think he captained Ajax at one point so he’d get my vote.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Power_n_Glory

That was the same sort of argument we were putting forwards for making Cesc captain. It’s not always a good idea to always give the armband to our best player on the field. The burden weighs them down sometimes. It happened with Henry and it’s happening with Cesc. You never know, RVP could be the guy to be captain but it’s not always good to make that judgment based on performances on the pitch. It’s where we’ve gone wrong in the past.

Verm might not be a bad choice. I think he captained Ajax at one point so he’d get my vote.

---

Agree. Vermalin looked good when he arrived and was bossing the back 4. Showed good signs of leadership and is something we have been lacking on the pitch. If he can control the back 4 so we have a decent defence again, that might hopefully mean the midfield and forwards can stop looking over their shoulders and we can play more of the attacking and counter-attacking football that served us well in the past.

It's just an armband ffs.

You need enough experienced players on the field for the captaincy issue to not matter as much.

I think Fabregas is fine as a captain, just need to add some quality around him. We do have a decent spine (Vermaelen-Fabregas-Van Persie), problem is they're rarely fit at the same time and they're surrounded by a lot of garbage.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Power_n_Glory

That was the same sort of argument we were putting forwards for making Cesc captain. It’s not always a good idea to always give the armband to our best player on the field. The burden weighs them down sometimes. It happened with Henry and it’s happening with Cesc. You never know, RVP could be the guy to be captain but it’s not always good to make that judgment based on performances on the pitch. It’s where we’ve gone wrong in the past.

Verm might not be a bad choice. I think he captained Ajax at one point so he’d get my vote.

---

I wasnt thinking that RvP is best because he is our best player, more because of the fire he has, he gives as good as he gets and will not take shit from the pud league defenders that litter the PL
Sure he can get himself onto trouble but he is there for the team both in the way he plays as well as the support he gives his team mates,
we havent had that kind of captain since Viera

Although for coll headed leadership Verms would be the man, question is, what IF we bought Damba and Cahill?

board concedes they may have to sell - bbc website

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/13928823.stm

Barca will come back with a £31m offer apparently.

We should tell them to fuck off.

We wont

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Alan B'stard

board concedes they may have to sell - bbc website

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/13928823.stm

---

Quote:

---

But Arsenal's board, consisting of Kroenke, Gazidis, chairman Peter Hill-Wood and directors Ken Friar, Sir Chips Keswick and Lord Harris of Peckham are aware of the difficulties of keeping the 24-year-old against his will.

---

Do we have fake board members or something?? :haha:

I knew it. We're negotiating and willing to sell. Spineless bastards. How in the fuck is he only worth £40m? They better throw in one of their players with this deal.

Man U sell their star man for £70m
Liverpool sell their star man £50m
AC Milan...Kaka...£50m
We're willing to sell Cesc, our captain and the man the team is built around for £40m! Clueless.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Power_n_Glory

I knew it. We're negotiating and willing to sell. Spineless bastards. How in the fuck is he only worth £40m? They better throw in one of their players with this deal.

Man U sell their star man for £70m
Liverpool sell their star man £50m
AC Milan...Kaka...£50m
We're willing to sell Cesc, our captain and the man the team is built around for £40m! Clueless.

---

As i said previously, Wenger has always bent over for Barca.

And anyone who believes Cesc being sold is down to the board and not Wenger is fooling themselves.