Cesc is not the be all and end all

Captain fantastic might be itching for the sunny climates of Spain and more particularly the Nou Camp but there is no need to panic back in London. Sure he may be the captain, the talisman of the team but nobody is bigger than the club, Arsenal have to get the best deal they can and move on, it is not the end of Arsenal as title contenders.

I think it is clear now that Cesc wants to go, unfortunately the lure of, and pressure applied by Barcelona was too much to turn down for yet another time and to a certain extent you cannot blame him given the success his home town club has had compared to the comparatively little success back here in London but as many ex-Arsenal players know, the grass is not always greener.

He goes from the talismanic captain of a club that is effectively built around him to a player that going by the Spain national team selection, may not even make the first team. He may win more trophies at Barca, who knows, but he will certainly not feel the same satisfaction when he does win a trophy. What I mean by that is, at Arsenal the hard work, the principled, free flowing football that has grown with him would have meant when he eventually wins a trophy at Arsenal it would be that much sweeter, at Barca it won't feel the same and I'm pretty sure Thierry Henry would back that up.

Then there is the league he would be playing in, England is undoubtedly the most competitive league in the world any of the top eight teams are capable of beating each other. In Spain, especially given David Villa is leaving Valencia, the competition outside of Barca and Real Madrid is basically null and void, it may be easier to play pretty football and a hell of a lot easier to win trophies but for a competitive player like Cesc, is it the same challenge? Which again brings me back to the feeling you might get winning a trophy with Arsenal in the Premier League compared to Barcelona in Spain.

I know not long ago, Arsène Wenger said Cesc could make the starting line up in any team in the world but Barcelona will play a holding midfielder, leaving two playmakers left and with Xavi and Iniesta on the team it will be competitive to say the least and going on the Spain national starting eleven, I for one am not sure he would start.

Having said all of this, it would appear Cesc has his mind set on leaving, probably the main reason being purely because Barcelona are his home town club, so you cannot blame him for that. Arsenal have to move on and what better way to move on than with 40 or even 50million pounds, added to the transfer funds that Arsène already had in his hands. That will be enough money for a couple of defenders, a goalkeeper and midfielder to replace Cesc, we could arguably be in a better position to win a title after those players are brought in, even if we have no Fabregas.

It is in no way a sign of Arsenal becoming a selling club, Arsenal in the past have sold players who have been over the hill, Vieira and Henry being prime examples, Cesc and Flamini both wanted to leave and you cannot keep a player who wants to leave, which is why the sooner a deal for Cesc is sorted, obviously as long as it is a good deal for us, the better. There is no way Ibrahimovic will be involved and only a small chance Yaya will be involved, I think Arsène will be asking for 100% cash which will be £35million at the least, which will give plenty of money for strengthening the side.

If I had my way I would personally go and get Mesut Ozil from Werder Bremen. He would probably cost between £15 and £20million, he is young and plays very similar football to both Arsenal and Cesc. If not Ozil, then Arteta from Everton would also be a good signing, again costing similar amounts to Ozil and is a similar player to Cesc who also takes great free kicks. Eden Hazard is also a good player, who we have been linked to very often but maybe plays in a slightly different area to Cesc, but is definitely one for the future, but maybe it could be time for Nasri, Arshavin, Wilshere or Fran Merida to step up and plug the gap from within the club.

The media will paint it out to be the start of a downward spiral for Arsenal, but take that with a pinch of salt, the departure of Cesc could be a blessing in disguise if the deal is good for Arsenal and the money from the deal is used in the right way. It actually could be a better move for Arsenal than Cesc, but no player is bigger than the club and cliché though that may be, it is true and Arsenal will move on, there is no better person to be in control of the club at this point in time than Arsène Wenger. He is still the most important person at Arsenal.

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