FC Barcelona, reigning La Liga champions and often called the best club football team on earth, have been public about their pursuit of Arsenal’s Francesc Fabregas for several years. The 23 year old midfielder is a Barcelona native and was raised in the club’s youth team before being sold to Arsenal at the age of 16. His years at Arsenal have seen Fabregas mature into one of the most gifted attacking midfielders in the sport, becoming a key component of Arsenal’s quick-passing style and replacing William Gallas as captain in the 08-09 season.
Barcelona, seeing their former youth player grow into such a force, have repeatedly and strongly expressed interest in buying the still-young Fabregas back, and have made two high-profile bids in the recent past, both of which were rejected outright by Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger.
Manager Pep Guardiola and his team have not been so easily deterred, however. The past two years have seen manager and players make a series of statements to the press that seem designed to stir up the sports media and put pressure on Arsenal to make a deal. Arsene Wenger and others have decried these tactics as low and underhanded, immature scrabbling to try and wrest a player away from a team that is simply unwilling to give him up.
But these tactics have been replaced, in recent months, by a series of newer, even more pointed remarks, the exact nature of which is as yet uncertain.
“I have always admired Cesc,” said Barça midfielder Xavi Hernández, a player very similar to Fabregas. ”We get along well when we play for Spain together.” A slightly wistful look came into his eyes. ”If he doesn’t transfer to Barça, well… I’ll miss him.” He then cleared his throat. ”So young, too…” he concluded, drifting off, his expression hardening before he turned from the microphone and walked away without another word.
Attempts from Spanish reporters to ask FC Barcelona’s players questions about Fabregas have recently been met with less enthusiasm than was previously the norm. Instead, looks of intense, grim resolve, tinged with regret, have preceded quiet, mumbled replies that seemed to skirt the intent of the question.
“Fabregas always had great physical form,” said center back Carles Puyol. ”His precision passing, his near-perfect dribbling, they’re really extraordinary. And all very difficult to do in the absence of functional kneecaps. Hmm? What am I saying? Oh, I’m not saying anything. Just that it’s fortunate that the defenders he goes up against on a daily basis aren’t carrying lengths of lead pipe. And they aren’t breaking into his apartment. While he sleeps.”
Pep Guardiola gave a press conference earlier this week, eschewing the usual setting for a small, oak-paneled study with leather-upholstered chairs. Guardiola sat behind a massive desk, leaning back in a reclining office chair and smoking a cigar, watching the smoke drift up to the ceiling as he discussed the issue. ”Cesc is a spirited, committed player,” he began, taking a puff. ”He is more than just technically talented, he has a true player’s soul. He believes in things like commitment, and love of the game, and family.” He extinguished the snubbed cigar in a desk ashtray, leaning over his desk to select another. ”Like your parents, Cesc,” he went on, looking directly into the camera with a chillingly inexpressive face. ”Francesc Fabregas Sr. and Núria Soler. They’re both looking very well lately. It would be such a shame if anything… unfortunate… were to happen to them.” He punctuated the end of the sentence by snapping a cigar cutter closed over the end of a fresh stogey, and then the television feed from the conference went dark.
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