Wenger: Why Cesc staying is important for the club

With transfer negotiations with Barcelona over the sale of Cesc Fabregas now over, manager Arsène Wenger has explained why the outcome has been so important for football.

The situation was such that whilst Fabregas was open to the idea of a move, perhaps even wanting to move, he left it to the club and manager to decide his future, understanding that there is a 'debt' that has to be repaid.

And he was hardly in a difficult position. If Barcelona put in an astronomical offer that Arsenal could not refuse, then he would be able to return to his hometown, to the club he adored as a boy.

But if the Catalan club could not meet Arsenal's expectations, and to be fair, they were never in a position financially to do so, he would continue to play for the club where he grew up in, for the manager who he acknowledges is like a "second father" to him.

And yesterday Wenger hailed the outcome of a summer of controversy, uncertainty and tension. We seldom go through quiet summers, but when there is speculation and rumours, the player essentially ends up leaving the club.

Not so in this case. Wenger said: "Cesc is our captain, he is our leader.

"You could see yesterday in the training session how much a lift it is for everybody who loves Arsenal. When I was at the World Cup I met so many people in South Africa and the first thing I heard was 'don't let Fabregas go'. That means it is a huge lift for everybody who loves the Club.

"The situation is as it is. I believe it is important in my job that I do not come out with private conversations I have with the players. That would be unfair.

"But Cesc has come out today to clear the air. It was very important for us that Cesc did that clearly and that we can move on from now.

"We are one week away from the start of the season so just we want to be focused and settled now.

"It is important for football that players do not move away. That nobody can just come in and say 'we want him and you go'.

"So it is important that the policy we entered into a few years ago is productive.

"And I believe for the whole football world that it is massively important that Arsenal is successful and that there is not only one way have success in football - to just put a huge amount of money in.

"The situation with Cesc is like the announcement. To make a transfer you need the agreement of the three parties and it is as simple as that.

"Overall we were never in a position where we wanted Fabregas to go. We feel that we have invested a lot of energy and work in creating a team of young players.

"We want them to stay at the Club and show that our policy works and is efficient. He is part of our plans."

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