What do YOU make of Cesc's statement?
Cesc Fabregas has insisted that he is fully focused on playing for Arsenal after committing himself to the London club for another year, ending speculation over a possible move to Barcelona.
The midfielder, who attended Arsenal’s Members Day yesterday, had been widely believed to be moving to the Nou Camp where he started his career, with a succession of Barca players encouraging him in public.
But earlier this afternoon, he finally announced his committment to the Gunners:
“I owe a lot to the club, manager and the fans and I will respect their decision and will now concentrate on the new season ahead with Arsenal. I can assure all the fans that now the negotiations have ended I will be 100 per cent focused on playing for Arsenal. I am an Arsenal player and as soon as I step out on to the pitch, that is the only club I will be thinking about. I am looking forward to the start of the season and putting this speculation behind me.”
What do you make of Cesc’s statement? Are you pleased the speculation has ended for now? Or do you think that this could still unsettle Arsenal throughout next season?
Leave your thoughts on the matter in the comments section below.
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About The Author
Chris Wheatley
Editor and founder of Gooner Talk. Former Arsenal correspondent for Goal.
We won a battle but not the war.
he will try to win something this year if not he is surely off!!!!
@athlon: Very true.
Great news for us and for Cesc as well I think. He will be more than willing to lead us to trophys as long as he has the support from us fans. I for sure will provide it
Sounds like we dug our heels in and got him to stay Rightfully so, as he has 5 years left on his contract. Just hoping part of his reason to stay, is a promise by wenger of some top class players to be signed before the end of the transfer window.
Ask yourself if this was a captains statement.
As an outside how would you feel if Terry,Rooney,Gerrard made this sort of statement? For me it doesnt kill the story, it leaves doubts in fans minds, it does not appologise for leaving fans in limbo all summer.
You expect more from the captain of a top club, maybe we arent a top club? maybe that is why players and barca think its ok to disrespect us every summer?
he’s took his fu**ing time! If you ask me there’s no 100% commitment in that statement! It’s like ” I’m stuck here for now so il have to get on with it” we shouldve sold him. He ain’t going to be the same player. He knows if he picks up a long term injury, barca will end their interest, so there’s never going to be 100 % commitment in his tackling etc
This is only deferred for a year. There is no doubt whatsoever he’ll be off next year and Barca now know it will cost £40m+ to get him. I think he’ll give his all.
Cesc’s statement settles the matter for this season alone. He admits he wanted to stay home and only returned to London because Arsenal did not want to sell. Who can blame him, frankly? He has had a taste of winning things with Spain surrounded by would-be teammates from Barcelona. Unfortunately, he must be a bit underwhelmed by the transfer business done by the club so far. It can hardly feel like his international winning streak is set to continue at club level.
He didn’t apologise for leaving fans in limbo? “Firstly I would like to apologise to all the Arsenal fans for not speaking sooner about my future but I have not known what I was going to do until this moment.” Sounds like one to me. Not sure why this was omitted from the quote.
He will move to Barca next year but on a very positive note we will have hopefully a fully recovered Ramsey and more experienced Wilshere to take over. What people must remember that prior to Rambo’s injury he was really starting to make an impact, you could see he was beginning to control the midfield and be well able for the opposition.
We are Arsenal, we don’t talk about the players of other teams and we don’t take out bank loans to pay our own players! Barcelona may have an abundance of borrowed cash but not one ounce of Arsenal’s class! Now let’s get on with the season. Make no mistake about it. This can be a big season. Really excited about Frimpong and Wilshere breaking through. Up the Arse!
we have got to win the title this season. players like fabregas deserves to win the league cos he is the best midfielder in england if not the world. common gunners no more excuses. just do it this season.
what I want to say that it seems that OUR captain is staying not because he wanted to, but because he didn’t have the chance to go to the C**ts . He seems to talk about Barca more than Arsenal in his statement . What is really important that this statement should not affect his performance in the season and that We the fans have to show him the love because we need him in this season more than any other time. Cesc : now I don’t like you but you are still a player and the captain for Arsenal… Read more »
I think Wenger should spend a bit of money to prove to Cesc he is serious about winning something. Otherwise what was the point of keeping him.
lets enjoy him this season because thats it
It is no great news if he is leaving next season for Barcelona. To me, the earlier the better, but if he is seeing out his contract, the statement would have been a great news. From the statement, I aint seen anywhere where he said he is seeing out his contract. You are beginning to be losing my loyalty Cesc.
I would have liked Cesc to come out with the statement alot earlier but like @ athlon said “we have won the battle but not the war”
We all know he will go to Barca one day – It’s a certainty like taxes & death.
However, I would be intrigued to know what Wenger has told Cesc in their private conversations. Surely Cesc must have asked what players we are interested in signing?
Hopefully AW gave him grounds to be optimistic!!
It’s a good statement, we all knew he wanted to leave and so if he came out and said “I didn’t want to leave, am happy at Arsenal” then it’s insulting our intelligence, and even more so if and when he leaves next year. He’s come out and been honest “yes I would have liked to leave because … but I am happy and commited to Arsenal whenever I go onto the pitch as I owe the club alot”. He has admitted what we knew but shown he is a professional by saying he’s happy to stay, now he just… Read more »
For god’s sake. He’s come out and said he’ll stay this season. He Will go next year, of that I have no doubt! But the point is that he could’ve sulked and kicked up a fuss after Barca offered that crappy sum, but he didn’t!!! His statement hasn’t tried to say that there was no truth to the rumours. If Barca had offered what he is worth then he would’ve gone. They didn’t, he knows that and therefore he’s stayed and will play with his heart for another season. Cesc really is in a no-win situation. He’s always said he’d… Read more »
he’ll go eventually but he’s here now, all in, and he deserves our support.
don’t worry about the future.
good news for now, im not really sure what would happen next summer, but atleast he staying for this season.
🙂
I am glad Cesc is staying for a year. But if the fools did realise it- this is a result for Barca- because he will deveop more with us than sitting on Barca’s bench.
Cesc = Traitor.
If you want to leave to go ‘home’ then dont sign a 7 year deal. Easy as that.
F**k off back to Barca. Good riddance for season 2010/11, I for one wont be cheering your name this season el Capitano.
@goonergerry: But then we’ll raise our asking price and they’ll have to pay it. We’re the ones that have won here, not them!
Means nothing to me. He’ll still be off next year and we’ll have £40 mill for the board to stare at.
Now that he’s staying for at least another year, Arsene & co must show him they mean business and get the players needed to win anything! We need a goalkeeper and at least one more defensive signing before the window closes. If not, we risk losing more then our captain next summer. Remember, the biggest thing for a player is actually to win trophies….
Let this be Arsenals year..hell, Arsenals decade to come!!!
Cheers from Norway 🙂
Cesc is our Top Captain we should be proud of that, he is and honest man and a really nice guy lets back him to the hilt, Win the Title this year and our top capo will still be with us next season.Love you Cesc Come on you Gunners!
everybody knows that it is not a question of IF but WHEN will fabregas leave for barcelona. the only thing that i feel would make his departure sorely felt this summer is that because we have not won a single title yet since the invincibles batch. from what i saw, after that batch, arsenal had the better assembled team then now with the likes of hleb, rosicky at his prime, adebayor, flamini, dudu, gilberto and such. since then, players have left the club; good, matured, winning players but amazingly, the best of the lot, fabregas, stayed. we hear people saying… Read more »
i think hes shown the club respect as hes admitted where his thoughts were but shows his love for our club and us.
Incredible that some people would rather be lied to than told the truth. We knew he wanted to go to Barça this summer, at least he acknowledges it and promises to be 100% focused on Arsenal this year. And knowing Cesc, you know that’s 100% true. If Barça want him they’ll have to pay what he’s worth next year, they’ve seen that trying to get him on the cheap doesn’t work.
I like the statement, it’s honest. No attempt to hide his desire to leave for Barca. There are still lots of idiot gooners who think it was all a media invention. He did apologize to the fans. And he clearly loves Arsenal. He’ll stay with us this season. I can live with that.
…and in that next 12 months he can fleece the club of £6,240,000 in wages on his vastly improved contract while doing everythgin he can not to get injured and wreck his transfer to Barca.
Gee, thanks traitor.
I believe what he said is absolutely correct. It is understandable for him to go to Barca only because it is his old school and he has mates in the same area and place. His family are there as well. Hey, we all travel for a long time to find a suitable job. But we always do miss our families and friends. Cesc is a good and honest person. He also knows we are his best mates … I mean Arsenal. As they say, where your bread is your home. Cesc acknowledged this in his statement. I am sure he… Read more »
Arsenal was really in a strong point from Four points of view in my own estimation as such it wasnt either Barcelona or Fab4’s decision to make. Firstly Fab4 was signed on to the Arsenal for a five year deal. If it was a two year or one year deal then the possibility of loosing Fab4 would have been high. Secondly Fab4 wasnt in his late twenties meaning he couldnt buy out his contract. Thirdly Barcelona are not in a healthy financial state hence there inability to press the deal through. Fourth and correlative to the third is the fact… Read more »
although i dont say it as strongly, i agree with the dirty turkey. i dont want to hear this poor cesc nonsense or wenger needs to prove to cesc that arsenal has title ambititions, etc. if cesc was homesick and loved barca he wouldnt have signed the 7 year deal. its not like he is stuck on the bench in bratislava. he is playing for one of the top clubs in the world, makes outstanding wages, is the captain, has one of the best managers in the world, and fans love him. oh, and he gets to live in london.… Read more »
What I make of this is, “I want to go to C***alunya, but Arsenal refused to sell me. I will go next year.” Give the armband to Vermaelen.
While I welcome the statement and his commitment for this year, it’s clear he has had his head turned, like several Arsenal players in the past. There was no commitment there to see out his contract, so we can only realistically expect one, perhaps two at best, years from Cesc. The only thing I can see standing in the way a move next year is if Barcelona go into administration due to their debts. Otherwise they will find the £40M next Summer, at which point Arsene will sell him. Even if they do go into administration, they will still manage… Read more »
30m couldnt buy cesc this summer or next summer if you ask me.. Gotta agree with the 1st post though.
Cesc is mr. Arsenal right now, whether you like it or not. If he left us this year I’m sure we wouldn’t finish anywhere near the top-four, ’cause Wenger would be too stubborn to buy a player he really wants. Paying 2,3 millions more for players like Alonso, Jagielka or Ronaldo wouldn’t kill us at all.
You didn’t even put the full statement on here. It’s quite sickening to read the whole thing. What does it mean to be a captain of Arsenal these days? F*** all if Barcelona is clearly where you would rather be. What is happening to our club.
99% no new keeper, no trophies and no Cesc in a year, great 🙁
For me cesc will never be the same after this. An absurd aspect is that as Barca are short on funds, his best chance to join them as he clearly wants, is by lowering his value, ie not playing to his best. I think he is more pro than that, but a few shady performances late in the season will raise the suspision.
We should not read too much into the statement apart the fact that he is leaving when arsene leaves next year.Even John Terry wanted to move Citey for extra on top of his £120k
I like to keep things short an sweet “nice 1” ok maybe not this time, he’l win the league with Arsenal an pack his bags next yr, while arsenal line there pockets with 50mil “nice 1”, p.s he is the best. thank you
Can’t blame him.. Almunia is still number 1, only 3 first team CB’s… playing next to denilson.. what happened to the war chest? New season 9 days away…
I’m sorry anyone who is upset at his statement is the same type of person who still needs mummy to wipe their botty. It’s just a JOB and Cesc is handling it in a professional manner.
Man up. Support your club and stop crying. The days of loyalty from players are long gone. They only thing we should be fretting about is the heath of Fab4s successor……Aaron Ramsey
You guys saying Fabregas is not fit to be captain……….if it was Gerrard who made the comment……….i blv gerrard made his intentions known about leaving for chelsea 4 yrs ago and his fans did not slaughter him. This is a team he never played for as a youth, never had ties with. yet cause chelsea where winning the league wanted to leave. In my view, if he says he his gonna give 100 percent……he would and he has proven that in yrs gone by. Wenger also need to spend money and bring in qulaity defenders that would make him realise… Read more »
He’s staying until Summer 2011. He knows he’d just be a substitute player for Barca until then.
Let’s give him support until he goes, just like we did with TH14.
Well good news in some respects that he is staying as he is one of the few truly world class players but his statement shows he wants to leave. Do we really want that from our players, no less our captain. I know that Barca were offering only a small amount but it was still 30mil…is that not better than an unhappy player (despite what he says he still wants to go. Will barca up their bid next year? I’m not so sure… Love him as a player but I want my captain to love my club and die for… Read more »