December 27, 2009, I think. I was at a pub with two of my uncles watching the early kick off Premier League encounter between Arsenal and Aston Villa. The two did most of the talking as I just stared at the screen. At the start of the second stanza the match was still goalless. I was now pensive. Cesc Fabregas wasn’t playing, as he wasn’t fit enough and had to contend with a place on the bench. Arsenal would send in wave after wave of attack on the Villa goal but all in vain. The Emirates crowd was growing frustrated. Then Fabregas stood at the touchline waiting to come on. ‘Thank God!’ I muttered as I finally sipped my drink. Within minutes of his arrival we got a free kick at an inviting position close to the edge of the area. You guessed it! Fabregas stepped up and duly curled and powered a beauty past Brad Friedel. 1-0! After that, another free flowing move only that this time that man again, Fabregas, was on hand to add the Midas touch and make it 2-0. A match that had for a long time seemed unwinnable had been turned on its head, all thanks to Cesc. I was bubbling inside and outside too, probably. The hero would limp out immediately to a rapturous applause after aggravating his injury. When we needed the top man, the top man rose for us.
September 15, 2007, North London Derby, White Hart Lane. Gareth Bale (when he was still a left back) had fired in an early free kick to give Tottenham Hotspur the lead. So Arsenal had to chase. Fast forward to the second half, after wasting enough chances to equalize. Free kick. Fabregas lands the ball perfectly on to the head of Emmanuel Adebayor who nods home. Then in another nice build up, after an inter-change of passes Cesc gets the ball close to the area and fires, in the commentator’s voice, “Dynamite! Absolute dynamite!” to make it 2-1. In the closing stages, again he had the presence of mind to locate Adebayor after it seemed that Denilson had spurned a gilt-edged opportunity, with a peach of a pass to which the lanky Togolese did justice pulling off one of the best volleys you’ll ever see to the top corner. Job done. Fabregas at his celestial best again.
I could point out a thousand other instances to show just why yesterday’s news that Cesc Fabregas had joined Chelsea (freakin’ Chelsea!) broke my heart and stamped on it. I loved him. We all agree the Thierry Henry is Arsenal’s greatest player ever and that’s fine. For me though, this man from Arenys de Mar in Catalonia was more special. There’s a period between 2007 and 2010 that what pulled me to watch Arsenal play was the sight of Cesc pulling the strings in midfield. Before, I simply watched football for the goals and maybe the brawls, but Fabregas arrived and changed all that. He made me aware of ball skills and passing ability and what difference they could make to a match. Oh, a pass from Cesc’s boot. Lord! Is there a better sight in football? And so when he left in the summer of 2011 to go back to Barcelona, that very day is a day I could do with forgetting in a hurry. I cried. Literally. I was in a car that afternoon and when I learned of the tragic news on Twitter tears exhibited my tongue like Launcelot Gobbo would put it. I stared at the windscreen and saw nothing. Thank God, I was not driving, otherwise I wouldn’t be here to tell this story.
He’s gone to Stamford Bridge having not come directly from Arsenal, so why should I be this distraught? Well, if what I’ve always heard is correct, Arsenal did insert a clause in his Barca contract that they call first refusal, with a buy-back option. In the event that Fabregas were to leave the Catalans before the end of his contract, this is what I imagined (and believed) would happen:
Barcelona: Hello, Arsene, how are you?
Arsene Wenger: Good. What’s up?
Barca: Okay, your boy Cesc is no longer needed here, we’re selling him. Also, Chelsea, Man United and Man City want him.
Arsene: You guys didn’t tamper with that clause we inserted in 2011, did you?
Barca: Of course not. Is that how low you think of us? That is essentially why this call is happening. If you want him back, you can have him at the fee agreed in stated clause or else he’ll go to whoever bids the highest.
Arsene: Check your account in 24 hours. We’re already wiring that sum. And tell Fabregas to suit up for his presentation at the Emirates when he’s done with the World Cup.
Barca: Roger that. Ummmh, is Jack Wilshere….
Arsene: Good day! *hangs up, backflips in his office*
Sadly though, the world has a wicked sense of humour and Arsenal, upon being informed of the Chelsea bid passed up the chance and we are where we are. Arsene Wenger has handed him over to Jose Mourinho (love that guy) a man who personally blocked his loan request for Demba Ba last summer. A man whom the Frenchman hasn’t beaten even once in the history of the universe. Am I missing something here? Is there somewhere in Wenger’s current and previous contracts that stipulates: “Thou shall do all in your power to strengthen your domestic rivals at any instance you get”. Ashley Cole to Chelsea. Samir Nasri to Man City. Robin van Persie to Man United. Cesc Fabregas to Chelsea (via Barcelona). You can’t make this stuff up. Now I’m just waiting to see whom he sells to Liverpool, ‘cause I kid you not, it will happen.
I hear Wenger said Fabregas was not his priority, that his priority is a defensive midfielder. *gets up* Are you kidding me? Suddenly the word ‘priority’ means something to Arsene? Isn’t he the man who for the better part of 9 years has always prioritized that ridiculous fourth place trophy? When did Patrick Vieira leave the club? 2005, yes? Is almost a decade later the time to prioritize the signing of a proper defensive midfield general to replace the legend? No, Arsene, we may be stupid, but not that stupid to believe this preposterous thinking! It’s all about the money, as it has always been for the Arsenal manager. So long as there’s money to be milked, that player will be traded. For instance, in this Cesc-to-Chelsea thing, Arsenal had the option of paying £30 million to Barcelona for him and rendering Chelsea’s bid irrelevant, or letting Chelsea have him and earn £5 million from his sale as per the contract agreement. No prizes for guessing what the club opted for. Sickening. Where does Arsene take all this money? Whoever coined ‘money is root of all evil’ must have seen Wenger in one of his dreams. Don’t tell me about priorities. If anything, were we even remotely sane as a club, our number one priority this summer would be signing a new manager. We all know how that has turned out.
I guess I have nobody else to blame but myself for attaching myself too much to a professional footballer. Robin van Persie’s sale to United for ‘football reasons’ was hurtful, but Arsenal letting Cesc to go to Chelsea is devastating. That does it for me. I am done with making heroes out of Arsenal players. For what it’s worth, the club can ship them all off to the highest bidder. Sometimes you hope that the club you support has your interests at heart…then you wake up and realize just how utterly stupid you are to believe that. I’ve learned my lesson.
It is going to be weird seeing Cesc Fabregas don the Chelsea blue, play his guts out for Mourinho and win the Premier League title for them. To Chelsea fans, you lucky bastards, you don’t know what a good player you are getting. You have no idea. He’s only 27, he has 6 more years to rule the league with assist after assist after assist. For Arsenal, I don’t know. At least I know we definitely won’t win the league next season. Some rules are not meant to be broken. The consequences are dire. One of them is the Cesc Fabregas Rule. And it states: If Cesc Fabregas is available, you buy Cesc Fabregas.
Desperate appeal: Can anyone tell me where broken hearts go? I really need to take mine there to have some rest and re-moulding. I’m tired. All the best, Cesc Fabregas, you were a joy to watch. No hard feelings, do your thing.
The Dug Out 