The name "Cesc Fabrgeas" is bitersweet amongst Arsenal fans. Many fans have great hatred for the Spanaird after he not only left Arsenal when they needed him most, but he then returned to England and joined Chelsea. The image of Cesc Fabregas kissing the Chelsea badge has often described to be vile by Arsenal fans. On the other hand, many fans still have love and respect for Fabregas as indeed he was the captain of the club at 21. Cesc joining Arsenal is now officially a myth or a dream that never was to come to reality, but many fans can't help but think "If Cesc had stayed, what would be different?"
Joining Arsenal at 16, training and being mentored with and by the likes of Thierry Henry, Robert Pires, Dennis Bergkamp, Fabregas was surely set for stardom. At such a young age, Fabregas made his first senior appearance for Arsenal, at that time becoming the youngest play ever to do so. Very quickly, Cesc became an intergral part of the Arsenal side and befre we knew it, at the age of 21, Wenger gave him the captaincy.
For many years, Cesc was the North London outfit's best player without a doubt, but there was one major problem, at that moment in time Arsenal were not financially strong enough to bring in players of the calibre of Cesc Fabregas, which proved to be a huge problem. With Arsenal failing to win a trophy and failing to bring in top quality players, Fabregas lost ambition in the squad and set his sights on his return to Barcelona, which eventually happened, but what if he had stayed? Fabregas was 24 when he left, meaning by this time he would have been expected to reach his peak, Arsenal's financial worries would have been over and the club would have been able to bring in players similar to Cesc's quality, proof of this is the arguably better Mesut Ozil.
Arséne Wenger put so much faith and time into developing Cesc Fabregas into one of the best box-to-box midfielders in the world, even Arsenal's Jack Wilshere has once stated that Cesc was a great role model and a good captain but for many, Cesc was a hero and not a legend. If Cesc had stayed, he may currently be the best midfielder in the world. Already at age 21, Cesc was one of the best central midfielders in Europe but the move to Barcelona stalled his progress. Whilst Cesc would have thought playing with the likes of Xavi and Iniesta would help him, it only led to him sitting on the bench and the Barca fans turning of him. At Arsenal, Cesc would have stayed captain and would have been a key player without question. His insane vision and long range passing would have been highly appreciated, meaning he would not have to sit deep with the rest of Jose Mourinho's team. This method of playing, especially in the second half of the season, has stifled the Spain international's involvment.
Cesc Fabregas, whilst him staying would have been great for the club and the fans, perhaps Cesc Fabregas' departure led to the rise of Aaron Ramsey, who is now the main man in the central midfield role. Perhaps Cesc Fabregas' departure followed by Robin van Persie's move motivated the players to work harder as a team and try not to depend on one player. Perhaps Cesc Fabregas' departure allowed Arsenal sign the world's best playmaker in Mesut Ozil, and the German is the reason why Cesc is not an Arsenal player today. We can all dream about what would have happened if Cesc had stayed or even if he had rejoined, but we shouldn't because he now applies his trade at Stamford Bridge. It is about time the Emirates faithful starts to appreciate the likes of Ramsey, Ozil, Cazorla and forget about their former star. He still deserves some respect from Arsenal fans but Cesc was only a hero and never a legend.