Let me go, I beg of you!
It appears Barca are inching their way to an agreement with Arsenal for Cesc Fabregas and are ready to meet their €40m demand. A large difference of €6m separate the clubs but Barca’s solution is a combination of down payments and deferments. They are proposing a €34m up front and €6m to follow later in tranches.
The €34m is further broken down to €29m coming straight from the club’s finances and the remaining €5m is a salary cut spread over five years that Fabregas will have to agree to before moving. It appears he is willing to do so. The decrease in wage is softened by Barca’s cost of living which is nowhere as high as London’s and Spain’s favourable taxation rates for top footballers which is almost half that of the Premier League.
Arsene Wenger has spent the better part of the transfer window focused on Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri and neglecting equally critical priorities like a quality centre back and left back. Now he should bring closure to the most consuming and exhausting transfer saga to focus on the season coming upon us. Frankly, we’re looking as unprepared as we are in years and with fans rapidly losing their patience and goodwill the Guardian’s prediction that Wenger’s fate could be decided as early as September may very well come true.