Farewell Francesc Fabregas!

It might sound odd, but a lot of Arsenal fans are probably glad to see the back of Cesc Fabregas.

The transfer story surrounding him seems to have rumbled on for all eternity and some might even argue it has hampered Arsenal’s progress. That’s not to say that Fabregas has not given his all for the club when playing – but with a dream move to Barcelona in the back of his mind, you’d have to say his heart cannot have been fully in it. There is no doubt that Fabregas is a genuinely world class player, and he’d have to be, going to Barcelona. But unlike some players he is not totally irreplaceable.

However, with he and Nasri both unlikely to pull on a Gunners shirt again, the side will be significantly weakened going into the new season. What it does now mean, is Jack Wilshere has to step up to the plate, and prove that he can be a worthy replacement for either of those players. His talent is there for all to see, and for many fans, it is made all the better by the fact that he is English. Wilshere performed well last season, and he definitely is capable of stepping his game up to the next level in the new campaign. Theo Walcott has suffered with injuries in recent seasons, which seems to have halted his progress just slightly. If he can get a regular run of fitness, and prove to Arsene Wenger that he is still improving, that will be another benefit to the club.

The addition of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is intriguing. Bringing in young players from the lower leagues is a gamble. Spurs have demonstrated with Gareth Bale that it can be a very shrewd investment, but Liverpool showed in the 1990’s when the signed Mark Kennedy from Millwall, that sometimes it doesn’t work out.

Sunderland snapped up Connor Wickham from Ipswich earlier in the summer, and like Arsenal will be hoping that their bright young hope can make it as a top Premier League player. Both players are more than capable.

It will be interesting to watch the men in Arsenal Premier League Shirts this year, but many fans will now begin asking whether they can compete in a title race, and indeed if they can retain their “Champions League” status.

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