Betting.Betfair

The Cesc Fabregas saga appears to have finally come to an end while Samir Nasri also looks to be following the Spaniard out of the door. Betfair's football ambassador Lee Dixon fears for Arsenal's top four chances as a consequence...


I've tried to look at the whole affair from slightly different perspectives and they generate different sentiments. As a former Arsenal player it's obviously disappointing that the skipper and talisman has moved on because of all the different qualities he brought to the squad. As a neutral I can't say that the outcome has surprised me one bit. He's been at the club for almost a decade and we've known all along that he's always had this desire to return to his hometown club at some stage.

As a pundit I'm actually slightly relieved that it's all over and that it's turned out the way it has. And by that I mean that all three parties have ended up relatively happy. Barcelona got their man at last, Arsenal have secured a good transfer fee for a player they paid little or nothing to get all those years ago and the player has secured the move he always wanted.

By the sounds of it, Fabregas won't be the only top midfielder leaving The Emirates over the next couple of days. Samir Nasri looks like he'll be wearing the light blue of Manchester City this season after refusing to sign a new contract.

These are two huge losses for Arsenal but there's a little bit of consolation for the fans. Firstly, they have in Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere two fantastic young talents who play in similar positions to the two who have left. Let's not forget that when the great Patrick Vieira left the club it was none other than Fabregas who was tasked with replacing him rather than another player being brought in to fill the gap. They really are two hugely promising players but there's a bit of a danger that a little too much is being asked of them in terms of bossing the Arsenal midfield over the course of a long old season.

Which brings us to the second piece of consolation. It seems like the transfer money from the sale of these two will be re-invested and that means that apart from buying at least one new defender, Arsene Wenger will probably have some of that left over to buy a new midfielder. My preference would be for a Nigel de Jong-like player with a bit of bite and aggression to his game. An experienced campaigner and someone prepared to put in a big tackle at the start of a match and shout out a few orders if the team looks like it's losing focus.

The problem Wenger has of course is that the clock is ticking as the close of the transfer window approaches. Whoever they do get will inevitably take a little time to find their feet at a new club and learn how to do things the Arsenal way. I've said already that I thought the Gunners would struggle to finish in the Top 4 because I had a feeling Fabregas and Nasri would leave. Now that it's all but been confirmed, Arsenal really do have a tough job on their hands to remain at the top of the English game.


For more football betting articles, go to http://betting.betfair.com/football/