Fabregas will join Barca - Messi

[Zebedee]

Does Pep want him though?

From a team perspective, Xavi is now over 30 and needs a replacement. Fabregas is almost tailor made for it. So I don't think you'd hear any Barca manager complaining about having Fabregas bought for them.

Mind you, there'll be all kinds of silly stories coming from Barca until the elections are held in June and you'll see half the top players in the world promised on a wink and a nudge if you listen to all the presidential candidates.

 

[casey32]

Well after the chairman said Barca have said they will not make move this summer its more than likely they have agreed to sell him in the future giving Barca a 1st option or something like that giving arsenal more time to bring more players through the ranks or a new signing, i think merdia could be the man to step up, but with nasri ramsey and wilshere their are plenty to hope can rise when he does leave

I believe it is probably due to the injury and they want to see how he recovers next season before they make their move
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/apr/14/cesc-fabregas-arsenal-barcelona-transfer

 

[Redrup]

Wow. Messi is a clever boy.

 

[Jack Fulham]

From a team perspective, Xavi is now over 30 and needs a replacement. Fabregas is almost tailor made for it. So I don't think you'd hear any Barca manager complaining about having Fabregas bought for them.

Mind you, there'll be all kinds of silly stories coming from Barca until the elections are held in June and you'll see half the top players in the world promised on a wink and a nudge if you listen to all the presidential candidates.

Hmm, I'd say, a player in Xavi role, although he may physically decline in terms of pace and acceleration, I can still see him at Barca for at least another three years because his passing ability is second to none. He can easily become a deep lying playmaker, besides he has Keita and Toure to do all the hardwork for him. I do not think Fabregas would go to Barca if he wasn't guaranteed a first team spot. However, if they do become European Champions again this year, Barca would be very hard to turn down but as you said, it is largely down to Presidential elections and they usually only win by saying which players they will sign.

 

[iNickStuff]

There'll be a Torres one soon as well..

 

[CJACKO11]

good his a player that deserves go be winning trophies and he hasent and wont at arsenal.

 

[Zebedee]

Hmm, I'd say, a player in Xavi role, although he may physically decline in terms of pace and acceleration, I can still see him at Barca for at least another three years because his passing ability is second to none. He can easily become a deep lying playmaker, besides he has Keita and Toure to do all the hardwork for him. I do not think Fabregas would go to Barca if he wasn't guaranteed a first team spot. However, if they do become European Champions again this year, Barca would be very hard to turn down but as you said, it is largely down to Presidential elections and they usually only win by saying which players they will sign.

You can't really have a non-mobile player in the Barca system and as players age, Barca will look to replace them. eg you wouldn't see Barca currently signing an Alonso or a Pirlo as they sit too deep and don't carry the ball or have the lateral movement consistently enough to interchange. The pressing required to make Barca's system work is phenomenal and players struggle to be able to do it consistently over long periods of time (two or three seasons without a deep squad of quality tends to be the maximum before performances start to drop just through sheer tiredness as Sacchi's Milan discovered).

I'd expect Xavi to be more of an impact player should they get Fabregas - put on for 20 minute spurts or well chosen matches where less mobility won't hamper the team quite so much. But I can't see it happening this summer as it seems like there's a gentlemans agreement much as seems to have been the case with Real Madrid and Ronaldo.