Oh, Say It Ain't So Cesc! / Gallas is a Goner Not a Gooner/Everyone Wants Sol to Stay

Okay - screw the stats. News of the day is Cesc being quoted about leaving for Barcelona. What else is new, right? Barcelona and the Spanish press in general are constantly making trouble in regards to our Captain leaving Arsenal and returning to his Catalan roots. But Cesc has also been just as consistent in denying the rumors. As of the posting of this blog, there has been no denial. Here is what he allegedly said:

"I want to make a decision about my future before the World Cup," said Fabregas, who expects to recover from a cracked fibula in time to be fit for the tournament. "It's impossible to perform at a tournament such as the World Cup if you're not fully focused on the sporting aspects of the game. It does not benefit anyone. If I ever leave Arsenal it will be to play for Barcelona. I would like to go, whether they want me or not is another matter. I am 23 years old and I have a long career in front of me. I've never hidden the fact that playing for Barcelona is a dream that I would like to fulfil. I'm very happy at Arsenal. I'm in no hurry to leave the club. Barcelona are still playing for the Liga title and I'm still an Arsenal player. It would be a lack of respect to discuss a transfer now."

Now, I cannot vouch for the order of which these statements were made or in what interview they are pulled from. But for me, the are disturbing. Check out the Sun for more details. We, again, have not won any trophies, and at the beginning of the season, Cesc was all about the trophies:

“Right now I'm fine at Arsenal but I cannot deny that to return and play for Barca would be a dream come true. I chose to stay at the club last summer and right now I'm totally focused on the reason for that decision which was to try and win trophies."

As I have said, the Spanish press love starting something from nothing, but where are the denials? Where are the offical statements of Cesc setting the record straight? Personally, I think Cesc is upset about how the season ended and is using his status of the team MVP as leverage to ensure Wenger invests in players this summer. He should in no way be questioning his future as he just signed a long term contract and has been given "incentive" wages to boot. I hope two things: 1) That the quotes are made up garbage and will be traced back to an unreliable source and 2) If Cesc is using the media to indirectly communicate to Wenger, that the Boss listens. I'm sure I am overreacting. The whole subject makes me want to retch.

Gallas has not signed a contract yet and I'm not too upset about it. Apparently, Gallas not only wants a two-year contract (Wenger likes to give only one -year contracts for those players over 30), but also a pay raise. Adios Gallas. You had a good season this year but once only played 26 games because of your injuries which is only three more than the previous season. Billy, you're getting older and more injury prone. Plus, you're also a bit terperatmental. If you only wanted a one year extension with no raise, I could support that. But instead, I'm going with Mr. Sol who would be happy to stay with Arsenal with a contract that is dependent on appearances alone. What a key player he has been both on the pitch and in the locker room. Just read what Van Persie has to say about his influence here.

Lastly, check out the article from Ivan Gazidis about one of the ways the club is going to address injuries next season. The technology had me scratching my head a bit until Le Grove put things in perspective for me. The only drawback of course is that the new system will have to accumulate a couple of seasons worth of data on players before it is fully effective at spotting player fatigue. Still, it is something.

I guess that's all for now. Hopefully, I'll be back tomorrow with news that the Cesc quotes were creative fodder from the Spanish media who seemingly don't have enough to do other than doodle outrageous rumors on their cretinous notepads. Have a great weekend...