Life Without Cesc

As I woke and turned on my laptop I was greeted with an image that I, along with most Gooners, had been dreading to see: Cesc Fabregas in a Barcelona shirt. Fabregas has since moved to play down the incident stating that, “There are times we do not even know what we do, so everything can be forgiven.” However the whole ordeal will not have calmed the nerves of Arsenal fans everywhere about the thought of their talismanic captain leaving for pastures new. With this is mind I’ve written about Arsene’s options should the 23 year-old midfielder quit the Emirates for Camp Nou. Assuming that Alex Song will be given the holding role in midfield after an outstanding season last year, these are Arsenal’s options for the more attacking central midfield role.



Samir Nasri
The 23 year old midfielder was an excellent debutant for an often injured Fabregas last season, encapsulated by a wonder goal against Porto in the Champions League. The skilful Frenchman has talent in abundance. Last season his Arsenal career was hampered by injuries and inconsistency as he tried to keep up with the pace of the English game. This cost him a place in France’s World Cup squad although after the French display in South Africa his exclusion was probably a good thing. When slotted into Fabregas’ role in the centre of midfield Nasri seemed to flourish; but are Cesc’s boots too big to be filled by the French playmaker?



Aaron Ramsey
Ramsey established himself as a first team regular last season making 20 appearances in League and Cup matches. His season was cut short by a double fracture to his right leg after a Ryan Shawcross tackle against Stoke. The 19 year-old Welshman is the natural replacement for Arsenal’s no.4 but his lack of experience will leave Gooners everywhere seeing this as yet another transition period. However Arsenal fans will remember that it took the sale of Patrick Vieira for Fabregas to properly break into the first team. The main worry with Ramsey, though, is how well he will recover from his injury. Eduardo (who suffered a similar injury to Ramsey) has struggled to regain the promise he showed before he suffered his injury and has been rumoured to be moving on from Arsenal this summer.

Abou Diaby
Diaby is the least attacking of Arsenal’s central midfield options. However, as many will remember, the combination of Gilberto and Vieira in midfield was seen as defensive but none-the-less effective. Diaby is a very similar player to the great Patrick Vieira; a very talented ball winner and consistently direct in attack. His ability to run at defenders and power through them has been effective option for the North London club. However the box-to-box midfielder is overly reliant on his stronger right foot and doubts about his passing ability are issues that need to be addressed before the lanky Frenchman can become a real force in the Premier League.



Denilson
The former Brazil U21 captain has always been a steady option for Wenger in the centre of midfield. In the 2008-09 season Denilson played in every league game bar one. He appeared less frequently last season due to a back injury that kept him out for two months. Denilson is reliable in his tackling, an excellent passer of the ball and has a fierce left foot. However the Brazilian has yet to show that little bit of world class magic that could propel him to the next level. If Wenger can find a way to release the full potential of Denilson he may have a natural replacement should Fabregas decide to move on.

Tomas Rosicky
Rosicky is by far the most experienced of Arsenal’s midfielders, turning 30 this year. However the Czech midfielder’s time at Arsenal has been blighted by injuries and he may struggle to keep up with the pace of the Premier League after spending so long on the sidelines. When he has been fit Rosicky has spent most of his time on the wing, so a move inside may be difficult. However, with such a young Arsenal side, experience at the heart of the side maybe just what Wenger needs to end the North London club’s silverware drought.



Transfer Market
Arsenal could, of course, dip into the transfer market if Fabregas were to leave but this not Wenger’s style and, as always, if Arsene has any moves in mind he’s kept his cards very close to his chest. Arsenal had been linked with French midfielder Yoann Gourcuff however Wenger has since moved to rule out any move for the 24 year old, saying that: “He's a player I like a lot, but we are sufficiently covered in midfield.” Arsenal have also been linked with Chelsea winger Joe Cole, after he was released from Stamford Bridge. Cole has also been linked with Arsenal’s main rivals Spurs, although Redknapp recently appealed to Cole’s “better nature” and hoped that Cole wouldn’t join the highest bidder suggesting that Cole’s wage demands may be too high for Tottenham. If Cole were to join the North London outfit, it could potentially free up Nasri to move inside from the wing.