That's my boy! Wenger (left) and his captain Fabregas at the Emirates todayArsene Wenger has won his bitter fight with Barcelona after persuading skipper Cesc Fabregas to remain at Arsenal for at least one more season.
After returning to training on Thursday Spain World Cup winner Fabregas met with Wenger and was left in no doubt that his dream move to the Nou Camp would not be happening this summer.
The Arsenal boss has stood firm despite concerted pressure from Barcelona to re-sign their former youth player, whom they lost for next to nothing seven years ago.
Barca were ready to spend their entire £37.5million transfer budget on capturing Fabregas but at no point have Wenger or the Arsenal board been prepared to sell, especially at that price.
There is no doubt that Fabregas, who has five years remaining on his contract, had his heart set on a move to Barcelona and the Spanish champions will almost certainly mount another bid next year.
But for this season at least, the 23-year-old has been forced to accept that his future remains in north London and will be expected to be fully focused on playing his part in ending the club’s run of five seasons without winning a trophy.
The news will delight Arsenal fans, 10,000 of whom descended on the Emirates on Thursday to welcome back their star man and watch as the midfielder was put through his paces by Wenger at an open training session.
Smiles better: Fabregas shares a lighter moment with Robin van PersieTheir chants of ‘We Love Cesc Fabregas’ and banners pleading with him to stay have had the desired effect and, after receiving a rapturous welcome, Fabregas responded with warm applause and a beaming smile.
He also took centre stage in Arsenal’s team photograph. The skipper was joined by Robin van Persie, who had also been granted extra time off following the World Cup, in a separate light workout with fitness coach Tony Colbert while other players trained with the ball.
The squad stretched and jogged around the pitch together, during which time Fabregas shared jokes with Thomas Vermaelen and Tomas Rosicky.
New signings Marouane Chamakh and Laurent Koscielny also trained, along with the impressive young duo of Jack Wilshere and Emmanuel Frimpong.
After the session, Wenger addressed the crowd, saying: ‘Thank you for the support I am sure you will give us in the coming season. We will give our best and try to finish at the top.’
No question: The fans let their feelings known to Fabregas (left) as he trainedArsenal’s chances of doing that have been significantly boosted now that they have retained the services of a player of Fabregas’s undeniable talent.
Whether he is prepared to remain at Arsenal beyond the coming campaign remains to be seen, however. Wenger has a track record of holding off the advances of Barcelona and Real Madrid for his star players — as the cases of Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira demonstrate.
King of Spain: Fabregas has been called up for his country's international friendly in Mexico next weekHe was forced to admit defeat in his battle to keep a youthful Nicolas Anelka out of the clutches of Real, but made a staggering £23m profit on the striker.
In the end, Wenger’s dogged determination was not enough to keep Vieira and Henry. They eventually joined Juventus and Barcelona respectively, but the Arsenal boss would argue they were allowed to leave on his terms and at a time when their careers were in decline.
That is certainly not the case with Fabregas and, given Wenger has been keen to point out the length of his skipper’s contract in recent weeks, there is every chance he will be just as determined when Barcelona come calling again next summer.
For now, Wenger has emerged victorious, although there was one Fabregas battle he was powerless to win on Thursday after Spain coach Vicente del Bosque included him in the squad for a friendly in Mexico on Wednesday.
Del Bosque’s decision does at least mean the Frenchman has found some common ground with Barcelona, furious that seven of their players, including Xavi, David Villa and Victor Valdes, have been called up for a meaningless game.
source: dailymail
