That doesn’t really do him justice though. He was the heartbeat of the team for that time and the assist king.
He had the opportunity to play in the best team ever, which was also his hometown after being at the club for the same number of seasons as Henry. Comparatively we were a club with ambitions of a top 4 finish. Fans are getting way too salty about this.
It’s almost like a supporter of a team in the relegation zone getting salty because their player wants to move to the league champions.
I never really got the hate for either Cesc or RVP.
They were both great players for us and, without them, there were several seasons we would have been out of the CL places.
Both of them said Wenger gave them assurances that his ambitions matched theirs and both were let down by him and the clubs lack of investment.
As a professional footballer, who is at the top level, why would they want to stay at a club where mediocrity rules, when they could go to one of Europe’s elite clubs and win the top trophies?
They didn’t grow up as Arsenal supporters and they were both from foreign countries but you can never doubt the effort and commitment they gave to us while they were here, which is a lot more than can be said of some of the other players and owner.
Both were proved right when they made decision to leave and both were winners and top quality players.
I get this sentiment, but what did Arsenal do for us to demand that loyalty? The team around him got worse by the year.
I guess he should have turned down the best option available to him after practically begging to come back to us and being rejected?
Of all the criticisms that can be thrown at him, the fact he played for Chelsea for a few years is the biggest load of bullshit.
My feelings are driven totally by emotion, there’s no logic there. You can throw out all the justifications about how good Barcelona were and Cesc’s need to find a new team, but I’ll always feel hurt by the way he acted.
He destroyed his value in the transfer market with his behavior so instead of getting a fair price, we got fleeced.
The Chelsea thing just hurts. He has a right to pursue the best club option to him and I have the right to think he’s a dickhead for signing with a rival. ¯_(ツ)_/¯
In hindsight Arsenal could/should have hard-balled them though. That’s as much on the club as it is on Fabregas going on strike.
Fucking exactly. Wenger’s treatment of players is on some level commendable, but he just bent the fuck over for Barca because Fabregas wouldn’t entertain going to any other clubs, and he wasn’t about to deny Fabregas his dream.
34m or whatever was, and still is, a disgusting amount for a player of that quality. Absolutely disgusting.
In the mean time Liverpool sold also on-strike Coutinho to the same club for what, with add-ons, could amount to 140m.
Yeah we definitely didn’t do very well with Cesc, Henry, and RVP returns…
Top players like playing with other top players and when it was clear this wasn’t going to happen, Cesc wanted out.
So the fact that we replaced Cesc and Nasri, who left in the same window, with Arteta and Gervinho, is enough to prove our level of ambition didn’t match his and that he was right to leave.
This also applies to Nasri, RVP and all the other decent players that have all seen through the lies and left to win trophies at better clubs.
What other top player wouldn’t do the same?
There are some “club legends” that stuck it out at various clubs, but yeah I can’t fault them either.
My issue with RVP and Cesc was the way they went about it… both different, but both f*ing shambolic at times in terms of the external messaging we were all privy to.
I will never forget Pujol (or Pique?) putting a Barca jersey on Cesc and he “doth protest too much” fing BS… not all his fault, but Fck that.
RVP with his letter and nonsense - stupid.
Not really a nice way to put it. They all left in a bad way. Fuck’em.
That was wenger to a fault though wasnt it, he probably promised cesc that he could go if we didnt win anything. Even if that was the case the guy could have drove a hard bargain and not just open up his cheeks to be shafted and then laughed at just because he wanted to go to barca and also they wanted him didnt mean that he had to casually accept any bs offer. Wenger was too meek and mild for his own good and the good of the team that is why the team is the way it is right now because they got away with murder for far too long.
Don’t think it was much about a promise but more about Arsenal not wanting to embrace the direction of the market. Granted, it has helped us looking like a poor ass club and not overpay(for the most part). However, there are teams that have embraced the market and still pay reasonable fees for players. So yeah, we’re mugs.
RVP to United was nearly as bad, I know he was on his last year of contract but fuck me for the sake of 24 million let him rot on the bench before you sell him to your rivals for a pittance.
The football really died at Arsenal once we let those two go over the course of a couple of seasons for a combined 50 million.
Yeah when you look at that and then you look at Suarez, Coutinho, and Bale money… that is ginormous difference in fortunes.
At least Cesc went to Barcelona who weren’t in the same league.
RVP, Cole, Adebayor, Clichy, Sagna, Toure, Nasri, Chamberlain, Giroud, Sanchez etc, all went to our rivals.
No other club sells so many of their best players to rival clubs.
Just shows where our board’s priorities lie.
In the bank.
Can’t believe I was that guy who’s username use to be CaptainCesc during the “vintage era of OA” ffs.
Can’t stand Fabregas. The way he left in comparison to Ramsey was unprofessional on many levels.
Cesc would have left either way if we were winning titles or not imo. I definitely think RVP would have stayed.
For me the way Cesc went about it just doesn’t sit well with me. Sure I don’t expect loyalty (Since Ashley Cole left his boyhood club cause of money, I think the days of loyalty even from a local lad is long gone) but go out with a bit of class and you wouldn’t have fan’s been split on the guy. Also joining Chelsea didn’t help him. I won’t diminish his time at Arsenal, still his best footballing years imo and he wasn’t the same player when he left. Him going on strike also thrown in with the Chelsea move, leaves me not liking him
RVP as the years have gone on I’ve got less of a hatred too, still a snake for joining Utd and then saying it was a dream move for him when he was a Arsenal fan growing up. But he didn’t down tools like Cesc and dragged this Arsenal side single handed to a top 4 place. I wouldn’t roll out the red carpet for him and at least he’s not kissing ass to Arsenal fan’s like Cesc is imo.
But i do agree Wenger and co probably lied to them about the ambitions of the club and I don’t begrudge players moving on to win trophies if it’s done with a bit of class and putting in effort. I just never seen that with Cesc or Alexis by the end.
Ashley Cole who won stuff with this club and is one of the Invincible’s can’t step back into this club for anything related to that moment cause he’s afraid he’d upset fan’s. Why does he get slaughtered by fans and not Cesc for Joining Chelsea (doesn’t matter he joined Barca before joining them). I think both are snakes but you can’t give one the pass and not the other.
Our fanbase can be weird with their loyalty.
Out of those players Sagna gave his best years to us, no one begrudge him the move and Bellerin was there to replace him. Clichy, i don’t remember anyone kicking up a fuss when he left. Nasri, left his hometown club to join us so you can’t expect loyalty there. Toure doesn’t get much hate even when he came back with other sides. Giroud seems to get a pass by fan’s
Ox one, I don’t get upset on that one. Stupid playing him a few days before he joined them. But we got good money for him and I’m still not sold on him been a top player. He needed a new challenge and took a pay cut to join Liverpool. But over time I think the fan’s dislike for him will soften as he seems a nice lad. Cesc will over time will get a pass, although it surprises me imo. RVP, I’m not so sure but I doubt he cares. Nasri, Adebayor, Alexis and Cole will probably never be given a warm welcome, definitely in the case of Adebayor and Cole.
I hope the days of selling to rivals are gone. But unless we get back to that level where we are matching the likes of City and Liverpool. I could see a few more going through.