Could Cesc return this summer?
During his time with the club he became an Arsenal legend. At the tender age of just 16 Cesc Fabregas became a regular in the Arsenal midfield, showing maturity way beyond his years. He would go on to captain the side and made over 300 appearances in the famous red and white, scoring over 50 goals in the process.
Cesc's love affair with the club ended in 2011 when he made his long awaited return to Barcelona. While the Spaniard may have loved Arsenal, he bled Barcelona. Following a long and drawn out transfer saga he returned to the Camp Nou to play under his hero and mentor, Pep Guardiola. It appeared as though the prodigal's son had returned home for good.
A lot has changed since then.
Undoubtedly the biggest change to have occurred is the departure of Pep Guardiola, the man so instrumental in bringing Cesc to the club. Pep stepped from his post stating that the stress of managing such a high profile club had taken his toll on him, next season he is back in the spotlight with the new European Champions - Bayern Munich.
The man who replaced Pep was Tito Vilanova, another man who knew the club inside out. However Tito did not share Pep's views on Cesc, he claimed that the player's English development meant he did not suit the 'Barca way'. Indeed Tito has shown his views on Cesc but not considering him a first team regular.
Fabregas' stats however show that he has still been a success at Barca. In 95 games for the Catalan giants he has scored 28 goals and provided 35 for his team mates, so much for not suiting the 'Barca way'.
Clearly Wenger has been in contact with Cesc and would love to bring his former captain back to the Emirates, and there is a strong possibility this could happen. When we sold Cesc to Barcelona we implemented a first refusal and buy back clause into the deal. This means that as soon as any club bids for Cesc we must immediately be notified and Fabregas is available to us for just £25 million, a fee considerably less then he would cost all others. So if Manchester United did bid for the Spaniard, we would instantly be able to snap him up for the agreed buy back price.
Essentially it means we are the only ones who can realistically sign him. In any case I believe we are the only other club he would want to play for anyway.
It all comes down to Cesc really. If he does want to return to the Emirates then everything is in place for him to do so and I imagine he would be welcomed back with open arms by the squad and fans. However I can't quite see Cesc giving up on Barca just yet. He fought so hard to get back to the club he supported as a child and for that reason it would be odd for him to throw in the towel after just two seasons.
However one factor that could play a key role is the looming presence of a world cup in Rio next year and Cesc knows that he must be playing regularly if he wants to be on the plane.
Many thanks,
Come on you Gooners!
