When Cesc Fabregas signed for Chelsea last summer, much was made of Arsene Wenger's decision to supposedly reject to re-sign his former protege.
Fabregas had originally left Arsenal for Barcelona in 2011, a deal that saw the Gunners have first refusal if he were to become available again. Indeed he did become available in 2014 but Arsene Wenger refused his services and instead Fabregas moved to Chelsea. However was the Arsenal boss' decision to reject him the right one?
Recently Arsene Wenger claimed that his only regret was Fabregas leaving Arsenal and not him refusing to re-sign the Spaniard. Wenger's decision appeared justifiable on the surface. Arsenal had and still have a host of midfielders who are of great quality. However the Gunner's start to the season, and indeed Fabregas' start with Chelsea saw alarm bells raised as to why Wenger didn't opt to sign him.
Arsene Wenger: "The regret I have is that he [Fabregas] wanted to leave here."
Cesc Fabregas is one of the best midfielders in the world and originally it appeared a crucial mistake. Arsenal's midfield in the middle of the season was depleted and down to its bare bones. Moreover the Gunners lacked the quality to mount a genuine title title challenge from the off. However the North London side have bounced back well, and the recent form of the midfield has been exceptional though.
Santi Cazorla, a compatriot of Cesc Fabregas, has been outstanding this season and his partnership alongside Francis Coquelin in 2015 displays evidence of why Fabregas wasn't perhaps needed. However for someone to have predicted a midfield parternship of those two at the start of the season would have been quite something. Regardless to say though, Arsenal do have a wealth of options in midfield. Arsene Wenger is all about developing players and the signing of Cesc Fabregas may have hindered the development of some crucial players in this Arsenal side. It can be foreseen that Santi Cazorla would not have had the chance to flourish in central midfield, whilst the likes of Aaron Ramsey would have had less game time. Trying to fit all of Ramsey, Wilshere, Cazorla and even Ozil into the team had Cesc signed would have been near impossible.
Winning titles is built around a strong squad depth, something that Arsenal are finally beginning to grasp, and Fabregas could have added to that. Arsene Wenger had first dibs on the ex-Barcelona man but still rejected his services despite Fabregas' desire to return. Whether it was the right decision to turn him down and watch him join Chelsea though is a tough debate. At first many Arsenal fans were gutted but deep down Wenger knew he had sufficient numbers in midfield, and at the moment that has been proved right.
Arsenal's transfer policy can be brought into the equation. In the summer the Gunners needed a defensive midfielder, a position that has been ignored for all too long. The failure to sign Fabregas and not bring in a defensive midfielder raised concerns. Those concerns however were cushioned by the fact that Alexis Sanchez came through the door. It can be argued that had the Gunners brought Fabregas back then they would not have had the financial capabilities to bring Alexis in, as well as the defensive arrivals of Ospina, Chambers and Debuchy.
Wenger has called for Arsenal fans to respect Fabregas when he comes back on Sunday with the Gunners due to host Chelsea. Whether or not he will be respected is another matter though.
Arsene Wenger: "I want every player to be respected, and I want Cesc Fabregas when he comes to the Emirates on Sunday to be respected like he deserves."
Cesc Fabregas was a great servant for Arsenal when he was there. He was a captain and arguably their best player but couldn't quite lead them to glory. It was understandable why he wanted to move back to Barcelona but after his move to Chelsea he has lost respect from the majority of Arsenal fans who seem to have forgotten how much of an impact he had at the Gunners.
Of course Fabregas is set to have a more successful season with Chelsea this campaign but whether the two sides places would've been swapped around on the basis of one signing is too tough to tell. There is split decision over whether it was the right decision but it'll be a debate that'll look to continue even into next season.