What does not kill Arsenal will make them stronger. That is the message from Arsène Wenger, who shrugged off speculation about the future of Cesc Fábregas by insisting the club would survive and thrive even if they were to lose their captain.
Fábregas admitted this week that Real Madrid have inquired about his availability while Barcelona again spoke publicly about their desire to see him in their colours. Wenger has previously suggested that it is inevitable the 21-year-old will return to his native Spain some day but had always expressed the belief that would not be before the conclusion of his current contract, which runs until 2014.
His refusal to rule out a move by the midfielder this summer, therefore, may be telling. Certainly Wenger betrayed irritation, and perhaps even resignation, when asked about the Spanish clubs' interest.
"Frankly I don't care what they say," insisted Wenger. "I know we are in a strong position with Cesc but there is no need for me to deny or not deny anything, because whatever I say they will say something else again next week."
Despite his youth, Fábregas has become a totemic figure at Arsenal and given that his best years are surely ahead of him, his departure would trigger even more grief than the losses of Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira. Perhaps pre-empting that eventuality, Wenger declared that life would carry on regardless: "We have no key players here, only a key team," he said. "It is not about who stays or who goes in July, what is more important is how we focus on the next game."
Tomorrow's visit to the Emirates by Manchester City provides a reminder of the travails Arsenal have already had to overcome this season. Their 3–0 defeat at Eastlands in November was their worst of the campaign and came on the back of Fábregas inheriting the captaincy from William Gallas, who had been stripped of the armband after publicly criticising his team-mates. That disharmony at the club was compounded by injuries to important players, including Fábregas, who only tomorrowmakes his comeback following a knee injury sustained against Liverpool in December. Despite those woes, however, Arsenal have clambered back into the top four and remain in contention for the Champions League and FA Cup.
Intriguingly, their only defeat in the 19 games that Fábregas missed was away to Roma in the last 16 of the Champions League, and they ultimately progressed from that tie on penalties.
"That is why I do not want to be known as just a one-man team," said Wenger. "We are in a strong position because of the quality of our squad. I never lost faith in the players and I'm very proud of them because they have shown strength in very difficult circumstances. We have grown and become united because of the difficulty. Now I want to capitalise on that at this important time of the season. March, April and May is always the defining time of the season."
