Arsenal

[Daley]

The transfer is subject to the completion of formal legal agreements and registration processes, together with Fabregas agreeing personal terms and passing a medical.

passing a medical.

passing a medical.

passing a medical.

This could go the wire.

So if it's £35m we have been screwed. I can understand it was basically a one-club market but there's no way Cesc is worth "just" £35m.

[exwhyzed]

Mundo Deportivo;

€14.5m up front

€14.5m to be paid in October

€5m over the next 5 years

€6m if Barcelona win La Liga twice and 1 CL in next 5 years.

€40m overall

[Dude Ranch]

Announcement seems like good timing for us to now introduce three big money, quality signings Monday lunchtime.

I am right here, aren't I? That will happen won't it?

[Daley]

Announcement seems like good timing for us to now introduce three big money, quality signings Monday lunchtime.

I am right here, aren't I? That will happen won't it?

[Rev]

Mundo Deportivo;

€14.5m up front

€14.5m to be paid in October

€5m over the next 5 years

€6m if Barcelona win La Liga twice and 1 CL in next 5 years.

€40m overall

Dear Arsenal,

That is shit.

Cheers,

Rev.

[Daley]

He may not have won anything as captain but there were some great moments.

I can't be too hard on him. Fuck it, i'd fancy playing in this Barcelona side, never mind if I had grown up with them all. Shame he wasn't around for much at the same time as Vieria, damn that would have been a partnership. And the truth is Cesc deserves to be in a team competing for all the big trophies, something that sadly we can't offer right now. I wish him all the best. The rest of the Barcelona team and management can suck it though.

[KRP]

Now that this is finally over can we resolve to never ever dealing again with these shower of cunts .

[Daley]

Now that this is finally over can we resolve to never ever dealing again with these shower of cunts .

One, the income from Barcelona over the past ten years or so is about £100m. I don't think we can cut off that particular cash cow just yet.

And two, we have nicked a couple more youts off them this summer which they will probably be back for in about 6 years.

So here's to the future!

[toythatkills]

Mundo Deportivo;

€14.5m up front

€14.5m to be paid in October

€5m over the next 5 years

€6m if Barcelona win La Liga twice and 1 CL in next 5 years.

€40m overall

Wow, amazing. I sure hope we replace Cesc this summer with our £12m, shouldn't be hard to find a player as good as Cesc for that, right?

[Daley]

Sandro Rosell says Barcelona will pay £25.3m up front for Cesc, with add-ons worth £8.7m. Total fee: £34m.

https://twitter.com/#!/YoungGunsBlog/status/102870689693966336

Screwed good and proper.

[dizogg]

To be fair most deals these days are structured in ways like this. It's nothing weird.

Plus having the guarantee of the money coming in is as good as having the money, you know? Doesn't mean you can't spend it all now.

Obviously being Arsenal you probably won't spend fuck all but nevermind.

[humdrum]

I am hoping that this is only getting announced now (as it seems it has been done a while) as we have been doing deals for replacements.

timing seems strange though 10 o'clock on a sunday night.

[Daley]

To be fair most deals these days are structured in ways like this. It's nothing weird.

Plus having the guarantee of the money coming in is as good as having the money, you know? Doesn't mean you can't spend it all now.

Obviously being Arsenal you probably won't spend fuck all but nevermind.

It's not the structure of the deal, it's the total amount that is shit.

[dizogg]

It's not that shit really. Considering the guy wanted to leave and only for Barcelona. Arsenal were pretty much given no choice.

[Daley]

It's not that shit really. Considering the guy wanted to leave and only for Barcelona. Arsenal were pretty much given no choice.

Well yes exactly. If that wasn't the case I expect we would have been talking about close to £50m. But it's the fact that he was only leaving for Barca that screwed Arsenal really.

[The Fox]

That and the fact the club relented to their endless, disruptive cuntery just to get them to piss off.

[Rev]

This is a fun news story, that will make everyone feel warm and cuddly inside:

http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/transfer-news/Barcelona-to-slap-Cesc-Fabregas-with-130m-buy-out-clause-after-purchase-form-Arsenal-article785577.html

Barce value Fabregas at £130m.

(I know those buy-out clauses are essentially works of fiction, but y'know. Cunts.)

[SMD]

The transfer market is mental. Aquilani is likely to go for the same amount we signed Adam for. Sanchez went for just a bit more than what we paid all in for Downing.

I reckon they should go back to paying them a fiver a game.

[SMD]

This is a fun news story, that will make everyone feel warm and cuddly inside:

http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/transfer-news/Barcelona-to-slap-Cesc-Fabregas-with-130m-buy-out-clause-after-purchase-form-Arsenal-article785577.html

Barce value Fabregas at £130m.

(I know those buy-out clauses are essentially works of fiction, but y'know. Cunts.)

They're not really transfer values but based on their contracts, that's why when we signed Torres his release clause had dropped from £60m the season before to something stupid like £26m. And they involve the player actually paying the buy out clause themselves, so if the club signing him pays him to do that, they have to pay tax as per income regulations.

Or something. It's stupid though. £40m itself was a joke, we sold Alonso for about that adjusting for inflation and we were fucking skint.

[toythatkills]

The transfer market is mental. Aquilani is likely to go for the same amount we signed Adam for. Sanchez went for just a bit more than what we paid all in for Downing.

Andy Carroll being worth more than Cesc is possibly the most distressing thing that I have ever heard of.

[SMD]

Andy Carroll being worth more than Cesc is possibly the most distressing thing that I have ever heard of.

I'm still not entirely sure what was more mental. That we went in with £30m or that Newcastle actually said no.

[hercules]

Here's hoping we actually put that money to good use and sign three Players with it and not expect Ramsey to replace Cesc, the boy doesn't need that sort of pressure as it is comin off the back of a long term injury.

[Steve007]

Cesc then.

I'm actually quite sad he's going. I've said many times that I wish the saga would just come to an end, but now it's actually happening I don't know what to think. He's irreplaceable really, isn't he? It doesn't matter how much we are getting for him, there isn't another player on the planet that we could sign as an adequate replacement. From today we will become a much weaker team. The club has had over a year to line up someone to try and fill his boots so surely someone is ready to be signed almost immediately? Surely the club has a plan? They must do??

[phresh]

It won't be a case of replacing Fabregas, rather changing to a system that doesn't rely on him. Unfortunately the latter is probably more difficult for Wenger than the first!

[toythatkills]

It won't be a case of replacing Fabregas, rather changing to a system that doesn't rely on him.

Yeah. If this goes well we could be better off without Cesc. He's great when he's in the team but the team just doesn't work without him, and for the last few seasons he's not been available enough.

An effective system that works with players that aren't as good means that when we do get injuries, the team should still look competent because you're not trying to get someone like Denilson to do Cesc's job. "Cesc's job" won't exist any more.

[Daley]

Even though it has been coming for ages I still feel sad. It will hurt to see him in a Barca shirt.

[Dude Ranch]

When we beat United with Ramsey and Wilshere I think things looked extremely promising in the middle and genuinely different to when Cesc played. If we can keep those two fit, get the best from Song, bring Frimpong through and (SURELY) sign a really good CM then we should be fine.

[Steve007]

When we beat United with Ramsey and Wilshere I think things looked extremely promising in the middle and genuinely different to when Cesc played. If we can keep those two fit, get the best from Song, bring Frimpong through and (SURELY) sign a really good CM then we should be fine.

No club with serious ambitions to win things would pin their hopes on Song & an unproven rookie (Frimpong). Sony has already proven he's an unprofessional liability. He's clearly learned nothing from past discipline problems and I'd rather he be replaced. He isn't that good anyway.

I do think Ramsey & Wilshere are the future but Song bothers me. In fact the whole system Wenger plays bothers me. I used to like the classic 4-4-1-1 formation. Someone like Arshavin (or Nasri if he was going to stay) could easily play off RVP. This mashup of a 4-5-1/4-3-3 is a mess.

[Daley]

Well if as expected Song get charged we could get to see a midfield of Ramsey, Frimpong and Rosicky very soon.

Luckily we haven't got any tough games in the next...oh.

[Dude Ranch]

No club with serious ambitions to win things would pin their hopes on Song & an unproven rookie (Frimpong).

Erm, no. Not pinning hopes on just those two. Those two plus Ramsey and Wilshere, who we all rate highly, plus one other. Alternatively sell Song, hold Frimpong back (there's only been him, Jack and Gibbs to show for the youth investment so I'd like to see him given a go at least) and buy two or three new CMs. I'm happy to supplement what we already have in the middle with one more very good player and it's also quite realistic to think that that's what will happen.