I might be getting a bit ahead of myself but it is pretty clear that Cesc Fabregas is on his way to Barcelona this summer and thus we need to have a replacement lined up.
Cesc’s imminent departure has been circulating the spanish media every day since the previous season finished. If the latest rumours are to be believed his house in London is for sale.
It’s not the first time that Barça have pressurised Arsenal into selling their best players. I remember Thierry Henry being linked with Barça for three summers on the trot before he finally made his move. Cesc was also very close to leaving Arsenal last summer but Arsenal stood firm to keep him on board. Although I am pretty sure that this summer the deal will go through.
Barça are under-pricing as much as possible (offering 29 million) whereas Arsenal are obviously trying to ask for the maximum amount of money possible (45 million). They will both have to finally come to an agreement and he will probably end up leaving for about 37 million. If he is going to go this summer it is in Arsenal’s best interest to get the deal over and done with pretty promptly so that we can concentrate on replacements and pre-season without our current captain.
So we need a replacement. Scott Parker. A leader, a quality player who will always give 100%. Arsenal have not won a trophy since Patrick Vieira left the Club and I don’t think it is a coincidence. We have never really replaced him. He was our captain, a true leader and as hard as nails. I remember one game against United at Highbury he was willing to take on the whole United team which included Jaap Stam and Roy Keane.
Scott Parker fits the bill. We should sign him up and hand him the captaincy armband straight away. As great as Cesc has been for Arsenal, he is not a leader and has found it difficult to captain us at his tender age. Scott Parker is an inspirational player, spoken so highly of by his teammates at West Ham and can have a really positive influence on players like Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey who I have no doubt will be future Arsenal legends.
Parker definitely won’t get as many goals or assists as Cesc has done in the past few seasons. Football-wise I think other players (like Wilshere and Ramsey) will have to take more responsibility to lift their game to replace the opportunities Cesc creates but I think Parker can give them the lift they need.
He did have a spell at another so-called big club a few years ago (Chelsea) and it didn’t really work out for him but I think that was because he was surrounded by players with big egos. I think the current situation Arsenal are in would suit him perfectly.
Signing Parker goes against Arsene Wengers principles, spending money on an established Premiership player (in his 30’s) as they tend to be over-priced. If we want to win trophies this deal has to go through and we have to move quickly otherwise he will get snapped up by one of our rivals.
