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CESC FABREGAS has told Manchester United’s superstar signings their transfer fees will count for NOTHING at The Emirates tonight.
The Arsenal skipper is determined to justify manager Arsene Wenger’s cautious approach to big-money buys.
And he believes victory in tonight’s Champions League semi-final will prove once and for all that there is an alternative to buying success.
Arsenal’s likely line-up will have cost a staggering £108.25million less to put together than Alex Ferguson’s United side.
Yet Fabregas, who cost Arsenal just £500,000 from Barcelona in 2003, insists money is not everything when it comes to winning the big prizes.
He declared: “Just because a player costs £20million, it doesn’t mean he is better than one who cost £2m.
“That has been shown in the past by players at this club — Patrick Vieira, Dennis Bergkamp, Robert Pires and Thierry Henry.
“They were the best in the world, players who had won World Cups and European Championships.
“Then there are other players who have cost £20m or even £30m who haven’t won anything.
“We know what we can do at Arsenal and we know how good we are. The transfer fee doesn’t mean a thing.”
Fabregas, who celebrated his 22nd birthday yesterday, knows his own signature would cost a fortune if he decided to leave Arsenal.
Yet despite constant interest from Barcelona and Real Madrid, the Spain international playmaker makes it clear he has no intention of breaking a contract which has five years to run.
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“How many times do I have to say this, my future belongs to Arsenal and I want to stay here,” he told a posse of Spanish journalists at the club’s London Colney training ground yesterday.
“My name has been linked to other clubs for the last four years yet I am still here. Surely that should tell you something.
“This club is very special to me. Signing for Arsenal was one of the best things in my life.
“Everyone at the club has treated me amazingly and I am really grateful. Now it is up to me to pay them back by getting to the Champions League final.
“If I hadn’t come to Arsenal at 16, I wouldn’t have played in a Champions League final three years ago and have the opportunity to play in another this season.”
Fabregas knows that nothing less than a perfect performance tonight will be enough to overturn a 1-0 deficit from the first leg at Old Trafford six days ago.
But he insisted: “Of course we can win this tie. It’s not as if we are talking about them winning the first game 4-0.
“For most of our players, this is probably the most important game of their career.
“We did not play as well as we can at Old Trafford but it’s completely different when you play at home.
“You are playing with the crowd on your side, you know when and where to play the ball.
“So as long as we are strong and compact, put pressure on United and don’t let them play, we have a great chance of going through.”
Fabregas is likely to find himself back in the centre of a traditional midfield this evening after spending the past month playing in a more advanced position.
The Spaniard insists he is not thinking about his preferred Champions League final opponents — Barcelona or Chelsea — yet after celebrating his birthday with a quiet night in.
He said: “The only present I want is to beat Manchester United. I am not English, so I am not worried if it is an all-English final.
“What we want is Arsenal to be in the final.”
The Arsenal skipper is determined to justify manager Arsene Wenger’s cautious approach to big-money buys.
And he believes victory in tonight’s Champions League semi-final will prove once and for all that there is an alternative to buying success.
Arsenal’s likely line-up will have cost a staggering £108.25million less to put together than Alex Ferguson’s United side.
Yet Fabregas, who cost Arsenal just £500,000 from Barcelona in 2003, insists money is not everything when it comes to winning the big prizes.
He declared: “Just because a player costs £20million, it doesn’t mean he is better than one who cost £2m.
“That has been shown in the past by players at this club — Patrick Vieira, Dennis Bergkamp, Robert Pires and Thierry Henry.
“They were the best in the world, players who had won World Cups and European Championships.
“Then there are other players who have cost £20m or even £30m who haven’t won anything.
“We know what we can do at Arsenal and we know how good we are. The transfer fee doesn’t mean a thing.”
Fabregas, who celebrated his 22nd birthday yesterday, knows his own signature would cost a fortune if he decided to leave Arsenal.
Yet despite constant interest from Barcelona and Real Madrid, the Spain international playmaker makes it clear he has no intention of breaking a contract which has five years to run.
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//Retrieve Blue Lithium & Bull frog Cookie Valuevar blueLithium = "No";blueLithium = get_cookie("BL")==null?"No":get_cookie("BL");var RStag = "";try{RStag = segQS;}catch(e){RStag = "";}document.write('');
“How many times do I have to say this, my future belongs to Arsenal and I want to stay here,” he told a posse of Spanish journalists at the club’s London Colney training ground yesterday.
“My name has been linked to other clubs for the last four years yet I am still here. Surely that should tell you something.
“This club is very special to me. Signing for Arsenal was one of the best things in my life.
“Everyone at the club has treated me amazingly and I am really grateful. Now it is up to me to pay them back by getting to the Champions League final.
“If I hadn’t come to Arsenal at 16, I wouldn’t have played in a Champions League final three years ago and have the opportunity to play in another this season.”
Fabregas knows that nothing less than a perfect performance tonight will be enough to overturn a 1-0 deficit from the first leg at Old Trafford six days ago.
But he insisted: “Of course we can win this tie. It’s not as if we are talking about them winning the first game 4-0.
“For most of our players, this is probably the most important game of their career.
“We did not play as well as we can at Old Trafford but it’s completely different when you play at home.
“You are playing with the crowd on your side, you know when and where to play the ball.
“So as long as we are strong and compact, put pressure on United and don’t let them play, we have a great chance of going through.”
Fabregas is likely to find himself back in the centre of a traditional midfield this evening after spending the past month playing in a more advanced position.
The Spaniard insists he is not thinking about his preferred Champions League final opponents — Barcelona or Chelsea — yet after celebrating his birthday with a quiet night in.
He said: “The only present I want is to beat Manchester United. I am not English, so I am not worried if it is an all-English final.
“What we want is Arsenal to be in the final.”
Paul Marin -19 is one thing, 20 is a whole other matter. It gets even worse if they win the UCL. *groan*. 
05/18/2011.MU fans naah cough, but all a unuh a vomit?-Lazie 1/11/2015
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