Gunners fans have every right to be impatient. Every year there's an overwhelming feeling of being taken up a hill (only to find another hill in our path). We hear from players & coaches about "winning something." We hear that there will be signings. We hear that our defensive woes will be addressed. Most recently we heard from club officials that there is a substantial amount of money in the transfer pot, yet all we've gotten is more midfield/attacking talent unproven in the Premier League. Oh yea, we also landed a 19 year old wing back who has shown the same error-prone tendencies we've struggled with during the trophy drought.
Considering all of that, it's very easy to take one look at the Fabregas-Barcelona saga and say "Just get it over with already!"
But it's just not that simple...
We quickly forget about how the injury-prone Spaniard inherited a higher volume of matches when he accepted the role of Captain. For a stretch he was in every Arsenal line-up in a congested schedule playing through knocks and niggles. We quickly forget about how he drew and converted that penalty against Barca in the Champions League with a broken leg on passion alone.
Because...
Lately, his performances appeared fueled by resentment for the lack of quality around him. Like the teenager who begrudgingly blazes through his household chores at an amazing rate, muttering profanities under his breath directed at his parents. And with Barcelona making all the noise they can, pushing the "limits" of the tapping-up rule, all the speculation has become more of a distraction than territorial norm.
But let's consider this...
On one end of the spectrum:
- Cesc gets outclassed by his youth club on the biggest stage for 2 consecutive years
- Cesc wins the World Cup with Spain
On the other:
- Wenger promises to build a team around him, so far nobody in his class has arrived.
- He hasn't won a trophy since 2005
Spain's financial situation is no big secret. Their economy is hurting in a big way. While talk of Barcelona's debt has subsided, by no means has the debt itself done the same. So it's understandable that Barcelona have gotten creative (if not tactless) with how they package their ultimately low offers to Arsenal for the product of their youth system. But they're no business slouches either. They know how unsettled Cesc is in England. They also know that he is less valuable to the Gunners as his commitment fades. So the idea that they come to London hat-in-hand, offering €25 million still bearing the shards of their shattered piggy bank is laughable at best.
It's up to Arsenal get what Fabregas is worth. But with the transfer window closing, time is on Barcelona's side and that "joke" of an offer is gaining viability. That's why this process has taken so long. And in reality, it couldn't have happened any other way.
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