Will we look back on this man as an Arsenal legend?

Cesc Fabregas’s days at the Emirates look numbered after Barcelona made their first official offer for the Arsenal skipper earlier in the week.

Though a reported £27 million bid was rejected, Barca are apparently ready to offer around £35 million for their former starlet in the upcoming weeks – this is not that far away from Arsenal’s £45 million valuation of their star player.

I would surely want as much as possible for Cesc Fabregas so that Arsenal as a club, don’t lose out. But for one, Wenger will find it hard to replace his captain in spite of his huge transfer budget. That’s because there are very few who have the quality that the 24-year-old has. Some might say that Samir Nasri is a more than capable replacement for the Spaniard, But, quite frankly, anyone with decent football knowledge will agree that Cesc is much better than his team-mate. The French maestro, who has only one year remaining on his current deal, is undoubtedly a fantastic player and has definitely developed over the last year. However, Fabregas is just phenomenal, and his consistency over the past five years are signs of a player destined for greatness (I hope it’s with Arsenal!).

When Fabregas joined Arsenal in 2003 as a 16-year-old, the Gunners were a successful team, and trophies were not scarce at Highbury. The Spaniard joined a team of players who were all regarded as club legends – Henry, Vieira, Bergkamp, Pires, the list goes on. Fabregas has always spoken of his admiration of these stalwarts and how he looked up to them in his early days in England. But as years went by, Arsenal’s move to the Emirates, and the huge debt incurred in the process, meant Arsenal had to depend on young talent to survive as a club. Evidently, the responsibility fell on the young shoulders of the midfielder, and I don’t think he failed to live up to it as some say.

Now the question arises whether Cesc Fabregas deserves to be classified a club legend if he leaves the club? He hasn’t won anything as a captain and has been a part of Arsenal’s six year trophy drought, which doesn’t bold well.

Some (Denilson in particular) have stated that Cesc has failed to inspire as a captain. So, does he merit a status that has been bestowed on the likes of Ian Wright, Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira, Denis Bergkamp and Tony Adams to name a few?

The fact that he has become one of the worlds best before he has even turned 25 deserves a lot of credit.

Arsenal’s style of football has won many admirers in the past few years and Fabregas is the main architect of our beautiful football. His talents were never in doubt, but when he became a first-team regular at the age of just 19, questions were bound to be asked. His response was overwhelming. Gifted with wonderful technique and vision, he used his strengths to optimum effect. His creativity, passing ability and flair silenced his critics who had doubted whether his small body stature would survive a league that was based on speed and physicality. In his almost nine years at Arsenal, he has grown to become the best midfielder in the English game. The way he controls the game with such ease is just a joy to watch.

Cesc played a major role in our run to the Champions League final in 2006. His thirty yard strike that silenced the San Siro is a part of Arsenal folklore – Not to forget how he and Arsenal brought down the Galacticos of Real Madrid in their own den. The standing ovation he received from the packed Santiago Bernabeu is something very few visiting players are given.

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