Cesc Fabregas to stay at Arsenal
Published: 2 July, 2010
BY STEVE BARNETT
BARCELONA target Cesc Fabregas dropped his first hint that he is ready to stay at Arsenal for at least another season.
The Gunners’ skipper is currently on World Cup duty with Spain, but his club future is still surrounded by mystery.
Spanish giants Barcelona have already made an official bid to lure Fabregas back to the club he quit as a teenager to join Arsenal.
The north London side quickly rejected the offer, stating that the midfielder was not for sale at any price.
Fabregas is understood to have originally told Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger that he would like to move to the Camp Nou, although it now seems he has made a complete turnaround.
Giving Gunners’ fans a glimmer of hope, Fabregas revealed this week:
“I haven’t said that I will definitely leave Arsenal.
Everything is possible.
Now I have my head and my focus on the World Cup.
I am very proud to be captain of Arsenal and I love the club and have respect for them. It gave me such pride to be made captain.”
The 23-year-old has spent most of the World Cup watching from the sidelines as he’s kept on the bench by Andres Iniesta and Xavi, the same two players who would stand in his way if he joined Barcelona.
Fabregas’s international frustration is another factor that could lead to the play-maker staying at the Emirates Stadium.
Talking about his bit-part role for Spain so far, Fabregas said: “I always want to play.
“I’m not used to sitting on the bench and I want to be playing at this World Cup.
I’m always competitive at everything, even on the PlayStation, but that’s my desire to win and I have that even in training.
“I’ve never been a player happy to settle for what I have, I always want more.
I know to be in midfield is going to be difficult because we have a lot of good players but I will never give up.
I’ve won a lot of caps but if I’ve not played three quarters of the game then it’s not so valuable to me.