Arsene Wenger admits it is ‘strange’ to see former talismanic captain Cesc Fabregas in blue, but admits he has no regrets over passing up the opportunity to re-sign him this summer with Aaron Ramsey fulfilling his immense potential.
The Gunners sold Fabregas to Barcelona after a protracted transfer saga in the summer of 2011, and after the Spaniard failed to thrive at his boyhood he moved to Arsenal’s London rivals Chelsea this summer.
Many Gooners were devastated with the news however the reality was Arsenal are well stocked in the midfield area and Wenger stands by his decision to re-purchase Cesc.
Fabregas notched two assists on his Chelsea Premier League debut against Burnley on Monday, and his former boss admits he felt a strange sensation watching his former prodigy in rival colours.
Wenger said at a recent news conference:
I have no regret about that at all [not re-signing him]. My regret is that he left us.
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It was strange, but you have to accept that professional players move from club to club. It was difficult for him to leave us, but after that you accept he can move to some different clubs. Of course it was a bit strange, but he had a good game.
Over the past year and half, Ramsey has become a player reborn after initially struggling to regain his form since his horrific leg break at the Brittania.
Wenger believes Cesc’s departure allowed the Welshman room to thrive and backed his current midfield ace to eclipse the seasoned Spain international.
Wenger discussed the silver lining of Fabregas’ departure:
What is good in life is that someone moves out and someone else takes over and he has developed.
Ramsey has a different style to Fabregas, but he has developed into a player with huge potential. There is more coming out of Ramsey. He is younger than Cesc and the potential is there to get more out of him.
Over the past twelve months especially, Ramsey has shown a calmness in front of goal something we used to witness with Cesc. However Ramsey offers more to the side in terms of work rate and defensive cover, and now going forward he is comparable to Fabregas in his prime – a huge compliment to the young Welsh maestro. Just needs to work on his through balls.
Although it is disappointing to see Cesc in blue, let’s hope his tendency to drift and not remain in a rigid midfield structure exposes Chelsea nicely.
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