Arsenal still cashing in on Fabregas as Barca's title triump

[Karl]

Arsenal still cashing in on Fabregas as Barca's title triumph nets £2m more... and it could go towards Jovetic or Higuain


By Sami Mokbel
PUBLISHED: 17:15 EST, 13 May 2013 | UPDATED: 17:15 EST, 13 May 2013

Arsenal will pocket about £2million thanks to Cesc Fabregas’s first league title triumph with Barcelona.

The £35m deal that took Fabregas to the Nou Camp in 2011 included a clause that would see the Catalans pay Arsenal in the region of £2m once the midfielder secured his first La Liga medal.

In addition to the cash injection from the Fabregas deal, Arsenal will also receive a further bonus, understood to be up to £500,000, from Hull City’s successful promotion to the Premier League, thanks to a similar clause in striker Jay Simpson’s contract after he swapped the Emirates for the KC Stadium in 2010.



La Liga victory: Cesc Fabregas celebrated Barcelona's triumph alongside Lionel Messi and Alexis Sanchez

Fabregas’s future could come under scrutiny over the summer with several clubs monitoring his position at the Nou Camp. The 26-year-old has not been a guaranteed starter under manager Tito Vilanova and has been linked with a move to Manchester United.

Nou Camp officials are said to be determined to make Fabregas’s move a success given the trouble they had to re-sign him.

Arsenal are believed to have first refusal on Fabregas should Barca decide to sell — but United and the Gunners are unlikely to be the only European superpowers interested.

A potential return for Fabregas will be the last thing on Arsene Wenger’s mind on Tuesday as he looks to move ahead of Tottenham in the race for the final Champions League spot.



Odd one out? There have been suggestions Fabregas is unhappy at Barcelona

Victory over FA Cup winners Wigan at the Emirates will see Arsenal go fourth, and a point ahead of Spurs going into the season’s final game.

Securing a top-four position will be vital to Wenger’s plans to bolster his squad this summer.

Fiorentina forward Stevan Jovetic, 23, is Wenger’s top target, while Arsenal are monitoring the transfer status of 25-year-old Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain. The Argentinian, who could cost close to £20m, is a long-term target for Wenger, who looked into signing him when he played for River Plate.

Arsenal also want a new first-choice keeper, with Sporting Lisbon’s Rui Patricio the latest to be discussed by the club’s coaching staff.




Targeted: Stevan Jovetic or Gonzalo Higuain could head to Arsenal to boost their attacking options

Wenger, whose side could send Wigan down tonight, said: ‘You just want the players to have faith in the game we want to play, in the game we love, and focus on that.

‘We have to try and be at our best against Wigan. The players have experience of reaching the top four, a good solid attitude, good strong spirit, so they have good ingredients to do it.


‘This is a winner-takes-all match, we are both in the same situation. So we know both teams will play at 100 per cent. But if they are relegated, it’s not because of us, it is the whole season that sends you down.’


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/foo...#ixzz2TEYxqwdD

[Karl]

So we know both teams will play at 100 per cent. But if we

...miss out on a Champions League spot, it’s because of us, it is the whole season that gets you in.

[Dunny]

...miss out on a Champions League spot, it’s because of us, it is the whole season that gets you in.

Indeed!! I have a bad feeling about Arsenal's next 2 games, for some reason my usual confidence is not there!!

[Karl]

Wigan is going down!!! ...and will defeat the team it meets on the last day!!! While the foregoing is subjective the following you can take to the bank - Wigan will play its usual 'pretty' football and put in a very spirited display.

[Dunny]

Wigan is going down!!! ...and will defeat the team it meets on the last day!!! While the foregoing is subjective the following you can take to the bank - Wigan will play its usual 'pretty' football and put in a very spirited display.

Theo is the man, if he is on form Arsenal will win comfortably.

[Karl]

Theo is the man, if he is on form Arsenal will win comfortably.

You mean if he gives full effort!
I am going to try to put together videos of games he has thrown through lack of application - either on physical effort or mental effort or just plain silly selfish play.

Talent is great...but it only shows what could (can) be, not what shall be. Theo has been showing great potential for a long, long time. It is high time he during his games consistently provide full games off quality commensurate with his potential abilities. That he currently shows us is disservice to his potential.

[Dunny]

You mean if he gives full effort!
I am going to try to put together videos of games he has thrown through lack of application - either on physical effort or mental effort or just plain silly selfish play.

Talent is great...but it only shows what could (can) be, not what shall be. Theo has been showing great potential for a long, long time. It is high time he during his games consistently provide full games off quality commensurate with his potential abilities. That he currently shows us is disservice to his potential.

Lets get one thing straight about Theo Walcott and how he is employed by Arsene tactically. Theo is not required to drop too deep, Arsene as realized that Theo's pace and ability to run behind defences is Arsenal's main weapon so his instruction is to play as close as possible to the opposition defensive line and murder dem wid his pace. I am sure if Theo was asked to help out more defensively he would do that willingly.

[Karl]

Lets get one thing straight about Theo Walcott and how he is employed by Arsene tactically. Theo is not required to drop too deep, Arsene as realized that Theo's pace and ability to run behind defences is Arsenal's main weapon so his instruction is to play as close as possible to the opposition defensive line and murder dem wid his pace. I am sure if Theo was asked to help out more defensively he would do that willingly.

Did you watch today's game v Wigan?
If you did you would have seen Theo play with full effort until we got the 3rd goal. He defended as I wished him to do...and it never affected his attacking role. He most often willingly shared the ball...save one glaring instance in the first half when he destroyed our attack by stupidly holding on to the ball...then tried to turn on it while under pressure...fell to the ground like the idiot he was playing at being and coughed up/gave the ball to Wigan...when it would have been infinitely more easy to pass off the ball to any of the many TEAM-mates waiting for same.

Dunny, I respect your football knowledge but Theo has formed the ass with his talent and our TEAM for too long and in games too often. Even in this game against Wigan he lost focus once we were 2 goals in front.

...and started to make silly anti-TEAM selfish plays.
I fail to understand why you think he should work less than others on the TEAM.

Incidentally - Podolski was playing well and as usual he was yanked!!! Podolski has not had a chance to fully express his goal-scoring ability at our club.

[Dunny]

Did you watch today's game v Wigan?
If you did you would have seen Theo play with full effort until we got the 3rd goal. He defended as I wished him to do...and it never affected his attacking role. He most often willingly shared the ball...save one glaring instance in the first half when he destroyed our attack by stupidly holding on to the ball...then tried to turn on it while under pressure...fell to the ground like the idiot he was playing at being and coughed up/gave the ball to Wigan...when it would have been infinitely more easy to pass off the ball to any of the many TEAM-mates waiting for same.

Dunny, I respect your football knowledge but Theo has formed the ass with his talent and our TEAM for too long and in games too often. Even in this game against Wigan he lost focus once we were 2 goals in front.

...and started to make silly anti-TEAM selfish plays.
I fail to understand why you think he should work less than others on the TEAM.

Incidentally - Podolski was playing well and as usual he was yanked!!! Podolski has not had a chance to fully express his goal-scoring ability at our club.

--------

Karl there is nowhere in my post i said Theo should work less than anyone else in the team, i was just pointing out the tactical setup of the team.

Re: Work-rate
It was a direct reference to Theo's work-rate v others of his team-mates. ...and that includes taking note of his many 'ducking under the ball' and fake hints at putting in defensive presence.

Re: Watched the game
Yes i watched the game last night like i do every Arsenal game and the tactical setup was exactly the same. Theo on the right played high as usual so Sagna had to hold the defensive shape. While Corzola on the left is allowed more freedom to drift inside to play his defense splitting passes. This gives Gibbs the license to overlap from left back which he does very well. Karl what you need to understand is that every player has strength and weaknesses and as a coach that needs to be taken into account.

Theo is no Ronaldo or Messi with dribbling skills he doesn't have the passing ability of a Corzola so it is inevetible he will lose the ball sometimes, but what he gives you is a real threat running in behind defenders and his finishing is getting better and better.

Arsenal is a much better team with Theo in it.

You totally dodged answering the point I made on Theo's play -

If you did -
i) you would have seen Theo play with full effort until we got the 3rd goal.

ii) Until that 3rd goal: He defended as I wished him to do...and it never affected his attacking role.

iii) Before that 3rd goal: He most often willingly shared the ball...

...save one glaring instance in the first half when he destroyed our attack by stupidly holding on to the ball...then tried to turn on it while under pressure...fell to the ground like the idiot he was playing at being and coughed up/gave the ball to Wigan...when it would have been infinitely more easy to pass off the ball to any of the many TEAM-mates waiting for same.

iv) Dunny, I respect your football knowledge but Theo has formed the ass with his talent and our TEAM for too long and in games too often.

After that 3rd goal: Even in this game against Wigan he lost focus once we were 2 goals in front.

...and started to make silly anti-TEAM selfish plays.

This latter is a sharing of my being puzzled by your stance (a scratch head ) - I fail to understand why you think he should work less than others on the TEAM.

I never haven't got an issue with Theo's work rate or commitment however i have had issues with his consistency but can honestly say this season he has definitely turned the corner.

Again the being puzzled: You do not have an issue with his work-rate but his work-rate and acts have you puzzled (having an issue) with his consistency

I ask you: Does his work-rate have any impact on his contribution to the TEAM=his performance consistency????

Podolski played ok but was tiring in the latter stages as usual so was taken off.

You could have fooled it me!!! ...he was every bit as involved in defending and on attack as when he started the game.

That Walcott refused to set him up on at least 3 occasions was there for the world to see.

Karl i don't know if you are aware that every single Arsenal player is tracked and monitered by GPS, so every run, all the distant covered etc all this data is collected and analysed, so when Wenger says that Podolski fades in games he is not guessing.

If it were not so Wenger and his team would have been pointing to failure in their management of the squad. I would be surprised...blown away...if even one EPL TEAM did not do this necessary act.

Just to let you know as well Karl, Mertersacker/Koscielny partnership in defence has gone 17 games unbeaten!! Mertersacker not bad for a player who is slow and can't jump, is it?

...and against ManU, Chelsea, ManCity, Spurs and Liverpool? ...and in the Champions League?

It is good and well performing against the also-rans but it is absolutely important to perform in like manner against the very top opposition.

I tell you Per Mertersacker is a disaster waiting to happen. He is slow! He cannot jump!

Finally on our TEAM and pointedly on Mertersacker; it is the Manager's job to see ahead and fix before calamity strikes!!!

BTW - Even a hint that in today's cutting edge play a forward must not contribute significantly to defense=playing one-short on defense is amazing. All the top teams have all their players playing vital roles on defense. Theo had better wake up.

Even Arjen Robben who used to never contribute on defense is now working his tail off on defense...and in my opinion it contributes significantly to his just seen performances during this season's Champions League.

As to the prolific goal-scoring Thomas Muller...he is a warhorse on defense as he equally is on attack!!!