afc Fabregas

[Guest Lemons]

Reina's a c*nt.

[Frank.]

Lol at Reina being spains cheerleader. Suppose he has to make himself feel a little bit involved.

[Guest Awesome Kong]

SMH

[Flojo]

Has he said anything yet?

[TF S4DK]

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has made it clear to Barcelona president Sandro Rosell that he is furious over their conduct in pursuit of Cesc Fabregas.After arriving in South Africa on Friday, Rosell was finally able to reach Wenger only yesterday. The encounter was brief - and heated - with Wenger making it clear to Rosell how disappointed he and Arsenal were with Barca's behaviour.Wenger is particularly annoyed that Rosell has failed to reign in the public touting towards Cesc - which was a major part of Barca's strategy under previous president Joan Laporta.The Frenchman, says Sport, informed Rosell that neither he nor the Arsenal board had any intention of selling Cesc this summer.

[anelka]

lol @ u moist peopleNothing wrong with thatWe kno Barca is his home, we kno Barca is in his heart, that was just a bit of fun after them winning the greatest prize in sportLOL @ Reina still thinkin he plays 4 Barca... u people must understand Arsenal FC is very irrelevantat at this moment, its all about Spain, leave him

[MrJibbles]

Cesc Fabregas' father insists nothing should be read into his son donning a Barcelona shirt amid Spain's World Cup celebrations.The Arsenal captain made it clear at the end of last season that he would love to return to the Nou Camp, where he started his career before moving to north London in 2003.The Primera Division champions have since had a £30million bid rejected by the Gunners, but remain keen to re-sign the 23-year-old midfielder.Barca defenders Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique fanned the flames over a possible move by forcing a Blaugrana jersey on the Arsenal skipper upon the squad's triumphant return to Madrid from South Africa on Monday.However, the player's father has played down the incident and promised his son did not intend to offend Arsenal.Francesc Fabregas told COM Radio: "It was a day of celebration and anything goes. If anyone misinterprets it, they have to see that it was part of a celebration."Cesc has it very clear what Arsenal has been and is for him. He is super grateful to them and it has never crossed his mind to do something wrong towards them."Cesc said what he wanted to do (sign for Barca) the day after the end of the league so that Arsenal had time to react."It would have been nasty to say it today, when they are almost on the verge of starting the pre-season."But he always did so thinking about Arsenal. It remains to be seen how everything turns out."

[Lethaldabizzle2008]

f*ck PIQUE.f*ck PUYOL.That is all.

[TF S4DK]

Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas insists nothing should be read into him wearing a Barcelona shirt as part of Spain's World Cup celebrations.Fabregas was forced to wear a Blaugrana jersey by Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique after being brought to the front of the stage by Liverpool's Pepe Reina.The 23-year-old is wanted back by former club Barca and the Primera Liga champions have already seen one reported €35million (£29.2m) offer rejected by Arsenal.Fabregas insists he knew nothing about the Barca players' plans, and that the stunt was just a bit of fun and is not an indication as to his long-term future."These are things that happen at special moments, and I don't think it should be gone on about much more because it was just another anecdote of a great night, a great celebration," explained Fabregas."There are times we do not even know what we do, so everything can be forgiven."Pepe took me there (to the front of the stage), the truth is that I didn't know anything like that was going to happen and so I was a bit surprised."At first I thought it was a flag or something, but it's nothing. You had to enjoy it and if it's a way to have fun, it's nothing."When questioned on his long-term future Fabregas remained non-committal, stating the more he comments on the issue the more fuel is added to the flames."I think now the less said about the subject much the better, because these things are worse for everyone when they come to light and people talk more about the matter," he continued."Right now we have to be very calm and what will be will be."

[thinkingthuglife]

yo would any of yous b happy to sell Cesc for 50M then buy a sick keeper a cb n Ozil?

[Risky]

Ozil aint goin nowhere

[Seth Rollins]

That's a stupid idea.We can just buy a goalkeeper now and tell Xavi, Pique, Messi, Iniesta, and anyone else associated with Barcelona to f*ck off.

[TF S4DK]

Sergio Busquets has suggested Barcelona may have to accept defeat in their bid to prise Cesc Fabregas away from Arsenal this summer.Busquets, who played alongside Fabregas for Spain at the World Cup, believes Fabregas would be a fine signing but pointed to the fact that Arsenal have so far shown no inclination to allow him to leave.He said: "He is a great player that would add a lot to the team, but we have to respect that he is owned by another club that is not Barcelona, that he is an Arsenal player and, for the time being, there's nothing to be done."Lionel Messi, though, is still hopeful an agreement can be reached. "I would be delighted if he came," he said on Wednesday. "We played together as kids [in Barca's youth team] and he knows the club."

[MrJibbles]

Good god, in a state of shock

[TF S4DK]

Barça is “classless.’ Right. This is so, so tiresome. I’m sure that outraged Gunners fans will visit this site with more of the same. Perhaps this post headline should be “We love Catalan puppies” or some such, but that isn’t going to happen. Instead, here’s a little dose of truth and logic for both sides. It might not all be right, and events might make a liar out of me, but take it as you will:Leave it to Dad. Francesc Fabregas, father of Cesc, says “No biggie,” on the shirt prank. Here are some more of his quotes:“It was a day of celebration and anything goes. If anyone misinterprets it, they have to see that it was part of a celebration.“Cesc has [made] it very clear what Arsenal has been and is for him. He is super grateful to them and it has never crossed his mind to do something wrong towards them. Cesc said what he wanted to do [sign for Barça] the day after the end of the league so that Arsenal had time to react.“It would have been nasty to say it today, when they are almost on the verge of starting the pre-season. But he always did so thinking about Arsenal. It remains to be seen how everything turns out.”Hmmm …. so I’m going to call BS on Fabregas Sr. and the uncertainly he’s drumming up, with ….Fabregas isn’t coming to Barça this summer. Now, most cules who understand the game and how we play it are very happy about that for a number of reasons, but first and foremost because his transfer price would argue for a starting role, which weakens our team. Can’t sit Xavi, or Iniesta, and we shouldn’t sit Keita or Busquets. So where does Fabregas play? Find me a club with a 50m+ squad player. Yes, Iniesta will get hurt, as he always does, and Xavi could use the rest, etc. But how long will it take after Fabregas were to come before Sport and EMD start squawking about “We paid for him, why isn’t he starting?” Countervailing arguments will be that his price is only going to go up from here as he ages and improves, and this is true. I just think that he isn’t needed, and Wenger is too adamant about this transaction, at any price.So he stays put, and hopefully Arsenal will win some silver so then Wenger can keep him (unless he decides to leave after this coming season), instead of snarking at Rosell about the way his captain was pursued, not that I think any such pursuit was legitimate or based in reality. (More on that later.)Fabregas could have ended this at any time. Just speak up, something along the lines of “The Barça rumors are nonsense, I’m not going anywhere, so relax.” Yes, he dedicated the WC win to Arsenal fans, which was a very classy gesture. Why not go the one step farther and say “And you’ll have me for as long as you want me.” Because rare is the player who would make that promise, particularly a young, ambitious one.The shirt prank was silly, but not Armageddon. Just like Fabregas Sr. said. Further, find me a drunk person (whether on booze or success) who has done anything logical and intelligent while in that state. I believe that the gesture was to poke fun at the incessant rumor-mongering and prattle. No, it wasn’t part of an organized campaign to finalize the transfer of Fabregas, and anyone who would think that is paranoid. If Fabregas wants to leave, he will submit a transfer request and then let his soon-to-be former club handle it. It isn’t as if touching a Barça shirt is going to be contagious, like cooties or something.For the record, the players should have understood the context and not done it. But people do stupid stuff all the time. But to label an entire club “classless,” to suggest that the adolescent-minded prank was the final straw in the attempt to lure Fabregas to Barça is (and there is no other way to put this) crazy. Flat-out, full-on, eyes spinning like pinwheels crazy.Iniesta disavowed any knowledge of, or participation in the prank. He added that yes, it would be a delight to play with Fabregas at Barça. Duh. What does anyone suppose any Arsenal player would say if asked what it would be like to play with Messi? What player would say “I’d rather not answer that, because it might be construed as tapping up.”None. So when Barça players are asked about Fabregas, they say what anyone would say about the potential of playing alongside a world-class player. They weren’t coached by the club, or handed scripts of words to say, with underlinings in the margins that say “Now say these words exactly, because we have to unsettle Fabregas just so, in order that he will come.”Come on. Really? I know that people think Barça is evil, but really?Arsenal is a big club. It’s one of the biggest in the world in terms of reputation, so it should stop acting like some segunda side. “You’re talking about our player! Stop that, lest he be unable to resist the lure of you, jezebel.” It doesn’t work like that. Players are grownups, Arsenal is a top-four perennial in the Premiership. There are three ways to keep players: silver (trophies), gold (salary) and platinum (playing time). Give them all three, and they’re yours forever.Further, if we have really been tapping up Fabregas, there are legal avenues to pursue that are available. As of yet this hasn’t happened, and I confess to not being sure why, if in fact we have been tapping up Fabregas. As I’ve said, alleged meetings have or haven’t taken place, contact has or hasn’t taken place. Who knows?Know your history. Fabregas was the heavy election pawn in the race between Sandro Rosell, the eventual winner and current Barça president and Joan Laporta, the most recent Barça president, and backer of a Continuity slate. Had Laporta been able to get a Fabregas deal done (he wasn’t going to, and everybody who understands the business of this game knows that) before the World Cup, his Continuity slate would have breezed to victory. So you pay lip service to the cause even as you know it isn’t going to happen, and you hope that it will help your folks in the election.Rosell did the same thing in order to win the “more Catalan than thou” contest, by pledging to bring our “native son” home. Fabregas left in search of playing time and stardom, and has received both. His home, until he decides otherwise, is with Arsenal, in the Premiership. Understand election promises and what they mean. If Rosell were to have taken office and dropped the fundamentally nonexistent Fabregas pursuit, it would have looked bad to the fans and supporters. So you meet with Wenger, he tells you to go to hell, and you can shrug your shoulders and say that you tried. Then you can resume the task of strengthening your squad with players that it actually needs.We don’t do business that way. Think about the way that Barça does business. When has the club ever conducted a protracted, very public courtship of a player? Names pop up and suddenly a deal is done. The Yaya, Henry, Hleb, Txigrinski, Keita. Alves was about the most difficult recent transfer. David Villa is more the typical Barça transfer. Or Ibrahimovic, or Maxwell. The deal just gets done. It’s how Guardiola prefers it, it’s how Laporta and Txiki B. preferred it, it’s how any right-minded technical staff prefers it. The more the name is out there, the higher the price is. It’s why I believe that Barça have no intention of buying, or even seriously trying to buy Fabregas this season. Our first offer was a joke, and a bad one. Everybody knows that who knows anything about the current transfer market. By Rosell saying that Barça won’t pay more than 50m for Fabregas, even though he knows his valuation is, and should be higher than that (Kaka, anyone?), he is in effect saying “We aren’t serious about making this deal.”Anyone who thinks that Barça doesn’t respect Arsenal is misguided. It’s a big club to big club relationship. Yes, the Spanish sporting press is stupid for acting like Fabregas was something that was stolen in the middle of the night. Yes, the politicians are stupid for acting like Fabregas is just sitting, weepy-eyed, at Arsenal, clutching a senyera like a security blanket, muttering “Take me home” en Catala. But it is impossible for a big club to unsettle the star player of another big club. The player either wants to leave, or he doesn’t. Citeh players and management could dance the mambo in a conga line while wearing thongs with Messi’s picture on them, and Messi isn’t leaving Barça. I wouldn’t want to see it, but it wouldn’t affect Messi’s desire to remain with the club.You silly, bankrupt Catalans should leave our captain alone and figure out how to save your club. All big clubs have debts. Arsenal has debt, in the hundreds of millions, just like Barça. Any unbiased story lays that out quite clearly. Debt is the cost of competing on the international scene. Simple as that. Barça isn’t in any more danger of going into receivership than Arsenal or United or Chelsea is. Debt gets restructured, loans are taken out to pay bills that help a club restructure, or defer a bit of debt that is easily repaid. It happens all the time, and will continue to happen.It’s just a game. Lighten up. Players come, and players go. This season, we lost an iconic Barça player and man-mountain in The Yaya (who will always be The Yaya to me). He left because of playing time and guarantees thereof, one of the big three planks in player retention. It happens, and is part of the game, a game played by childlike grown men, a game that is also a business. But he also left because the time was right to sell him. His price was never going to be higher, and his wages were never going to be lower. Perfect time to sell. Nobody knows what the outcome is going to be in the Fabregas affair ultimately (as in way down the road). I do know that it isn’t worth all of the bile and invective that has been spewed.And that’s what I know.

[TF S4DK]

Barcelona president Sandro Rosell has admitted they may not be able to prise Cesc Fabregas away from Arsenal this summer.Rosell says there are currently no talks between the two sides over a deal for the Gunners captain, who was in the Catalans' youth system but moved to London at the age of 16."Arsenal feels very hurt by Barca," said Rosell to Catalan TV3."They don't want to listen to offers or sell and they are not putting the player (Fabregas) on the market."There was a strong dispute a few months ago and they have not forgotten it."Barca had a reported 29million euro bid for the Spain international turned down by the London-based outfit earlier this summer.Continued reports in Spain that Fabregas will play for Barca next season have hindered relations between the two clubs but Rosell remains confident the 23-year-old midfielder will wear Barca's colours in the near future."He (Fabregas) will arrive, even if it is not now, it will be next year," said Rosell. "We will see."One thing that is certain is that we will not go mad trying to sign him."No shareholder would pay 60 or 70million euros for him."We will not go all out for him."We would only pay his value in the transfer market."Fabregas is under contract with Arsenal until June 2015.

[TF S4DK]

BARCELONA skipper Carles Puyol last night taunted Arsenal by ­insisting: You can’t stop Cesc ­Fabregas returning to the Nou Camp.And centre-half Puyol, who won the World Cup ­alongside Fabregas last Sunday, accused Emirates top brass of preventing the Gunners skipper from ­joining ‘‘the biggest club in the world’’.Puyol, 32, who retired from ­international football after Spain’s World Cup Final win, also claimed Arsenal lacked ‘‘class’’ in blocking Fabregas’ return home to Catalonia.But he insisted even if Barca youth system product ­Fabregas doesn’t move this ­summer, he WILL rejoin Barca next year.Arsenal have already rejected a £30million bid from Barcelona for Fabregas, 23, and have told the Spaniards to ‘‘respect their ­position’’ and back off from ­bidding.Puyol, along with Spain’s other Barca stars such as David Villa, Gerard Pique, Xavi and Andres Iniesta, spent the entire World Cup talking up a ­Fabregas move.And Puyol said: ‘‘Cesc is a ­really nice guy and desperate to become a ­Barcelona player.“But he is not the sort of ­player to be ruthless and start using the ­media to get him the move that he wants.“There are many players who would try all sorts of tricks to make it impossible to ever play for Arsenal again but that is not his style.“I think Arsenal need to ­respect his class and show the same class by giving the guy who has given so much to them the move that he and his family want.“He isn’t just being deprived of moving to the best club in the world.“More importantly, he is being deprived of coming home.“He has tried everything to win trophies at Arsenal and when he sees the success so many of his Spanish team-mates are having at Barcelona, it’s only natural that he should want to be a part of that.”Fabregas’ beaming face was seen in newspapers all over the world when Spain returned home to Madrid to start celebrating their 1-0 World Cup Final win over Holland.They toured the capital on an open-top bus and had VIP ­meetings with King Juan Carlos and Prime ­Minister Jose Luis ­Rodriguez with thousands of adoring fans lining the route.At one point in the ­celebrations Puyol and his pals put a ­Barcelona shirt on Fabregas.And Puyol said: “Cesc knew nothing about the prank we played on him with the ­Barcelona shirt.“But everybody seemed to agree it looked good on him.“He is the future of Barcelona and Arsenal can’t do anything to stop that. I have just spent six weeks with him and there is only one club he wants to be at.“The worst-case scenario is that we have to wait another 12 months for him to join us – but Arsenal, ­Barcelona and Cesc know that is the very worst-case scenario.”

[Drift]

puyol needs to jam.swear his club cant even afford to pay wages?

[Seth Rollins]

Trying to get everyone to hate him. Lol, soon as the whistle goes true Arsenal fans will cheer on their team. Be interesting to see his goal celebrations and Arsenal fans when he scores...

[MrJibbles]

New York Red Bulls striker Thierry Henry has admitted he would not like to be in Cesc Fabregas' shoes this summer in having to choose between Arsenal and Barcelona. The former France international and Gunners legend said the Spain World Cup winner faced a huge dilemma as he weighs up whether to return to his boyhood club Barca or stay loyal to Arsene Wenger at Arsenal.The La Liga giants have already had a £30 million offer rejected for the north London club's captain and it is now starting to look increasingly likely that Fabregas will be staying at the Emirates Stadium.Henry himself left Arsenal for Barcelona, but said that given his strong links to the Premier League side he would like to see the 23-year-old remain in the Premier League."It is hard because Fabregas is from Barcelona,” the Frenchman told Radio Five's Sportsweek. “I wouldn't like to be in his shoes that's all I can say. "I wouldn't like to be in his position because he is from there [barcelona], but he also loves Arsenal."I don't know what to say about this, because I don't want to talk for him. "As an Arsenal fan, for me, I want him to stay at Arsenal. However, I would also understand if he goes back home."Having joined the Red Bulls this week and retiring from international duty with France, Henry is set to give Major League Soccer his full attention over the next few years.After his playing career is at an end, though, Henry has re-iterated his desire to return to Arsenal in some capacity, the exact nature of which he is not yet clear on."What I want to do is, when I retire from playing, I don't know how, but I want to come back to Arsenal," he added.

[Lethaldabizzle2008]

Henry>>>>>>>>>>>>>Puyol needs to shut the f*ck up.I beg arsenal draw barca in the champions league again next year, see how he plays then?

[Michel Kane]

Henry>>>>>>>>>>>>>Puyol needs to shut the f*ck up.I beg arsenal draw barca in the champions league again next year, see how he plays then?

[TF S4DK]

Barcelona president Sandro Rosell is expected to fly to London in a bid to re-open talks about signing Cesc Fabregas from Arsenal.Gunners boss Arsene Wenger called for the pursuit to stop at the weekend - but the appeal has fallen on deaf ears in Catalonia, with Barca coach Pep Guardiola today reiterating that he wanted Fabregas at the Nou Camp.'I think that Cesc will cost a lot,' said Guardiola in his first press conference of the pre-season. 'We want him to come, but I understand that he is an important player to Arsenal and if they don't want to negotiate, he won't come.'Rosell is due to fly in to the capital on Tuesday alongside his sporting vice-president Josep Maria Bartomeu, according to Barcelona-based newspaper El Mundo Deportivo, and a new £34million bid is expected to be presented.The offer is £5m more than the £29m first proposal which was dismissed immediately on June 1, but it is still well of the level that is likely to interest the Gunners.Rosell, who feels his predecessor Joan Laporta seriously damaged relations between Barca and Arsenal, indicated at the end of last week that Fabregas could be too difficult a signing to pull off this summer.But the Spanish champions have not given up and a return to pre-season training on Monday accelerates the need for Guardiola to get his squad together.Barca added versatile Brazilian full-back Adriano Correa from Sevilla at the weekend and have already signed Spain striker David Villa from Valencia.They have cooled on Javier Mascherano as a replacement for Yaya Toure, with the Liverpool man more likely to head for Inter Milan, and Guardiola believes Fabregas can be turned into a holding midfielder despite his brilliance for Arsenal in a more advanced role.'It depends on the economic prospects of the club,' said the coach. 'We are looking at players with Toure's characteristics, but if we sign Cesc we can adapt him to that position and find another more attacking player.'It depends on the progress of negotiations we have open.'They may still bring in another defender and want a replacement for Yaya Toure, but Fabregas remains the priority.Wanted man: Fabregas would team up with Xavi if he heads to the Nou CampGuardiola would ideally like his squad completed before heading to the Far East for a mini-tour early next month.Rosell is said to share a good relationship with Gunners chief executive Ivan Gazidis from their shared time in sports marketing, but Wenger has already made his position clear.Following the 4-0 win against Barnet on Saturday, Wenger said: ' It is very important we give the impression that just because somebody wants a player from us, we do not just give in.'We have shown our love and care for Cesc since the start. I believe Cesc loves the club, has shown his attachment to the club many times and I am very confident the story will end there.'We want Cesc to be part of our club next year, and that is it.'Fabregas is currently on holiday with a number of friends - including Barcelona defender Gerard Pique - on the Spanish island of Formentera.

[Phil Brooks]

They want him as a DM?

[MrJibbles]

After reading Puyol's comments someone needs to take him out, about show Cesc respect how about show Arsenal some respect.