Fabregas is right, Arsenal need a dose of football Viagra
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CESC FABREGAS last night shocked Arsenal by admitting: "My family would understand if I signed for Real Madrid."
In a heart-rending interview he talks about the frustration and pain of four barren years in North London and brands the Gunners "impotent".
Real Madrid's huge summer spending spree to attract the world's best players to the Bernabeu sits in stark contrast with the policy followed by the Emirates side in recent years.
Midfielder Fabregas is one of Real president Florentino Perez's top targets and his words are even more significant given the Spain superstar must have known they would cause a stir in England.
More worryingly, the Gunners skipper hinted Cristiano Ronaldo's decision to leave Manchester United and join Madrid has made him think about his own future.
The 22-year-old admitted that six years away from his homeland is a long time, prompting renewed speculation about his future.
Fabregas said: "The absence of titles at Arsenal is what angers me the most. "Cristiano said he's leaving Manchester United because he had nothing else to win. For me right now it is the exact opposite, seeing the impotence.
"This year we wanted it, we were giving everything - but we couldn't reach the level that everyone expected of Arsenal. "When you win, you're well. But when you don't, everyone is in a bad mood. For four years now, we've needed a title to regain our belief in ourselves."
Fabregas joined Arsenal as a precocious 16-year-old whizkid plucked from Barcelona's academy. He has spent all his adult life in England and freely conceded that a return to Spain is never far away from his thoughts. He added: "My seventh season is about to start. It's a lot when you're just 22. When you stop to think, you see that time flies.
"In football, you have to learn fast and take the best decisions for yourself and try to be happy." Fabregas then dropped a bombshell by admitting that his Catalan family, who are all staunch Barcelona supporters, would understand if he joined their hated rivals Madrid.
Cesc said: "Of course my family would understand if I signed for Real Madrid because they love me, they want me to be happy and what is best for me. They'd support me - whichever club I joined. My family will always be there for me - whatever decision I make.
"They're the ones who are always by my side." Barcelona have also been linked with a move to recapture the prodigal son who fled home as a teenager.
Curiously, Fabregas admitted it would be a difficult dilemma if he had to choose between Real and Barca but confessed he is proud to be aware of their interest in him.
He added: "At the moment it's not happened so I don't have to choose. For any player it gives great pride that those two clubs come to sign him. It would be a difficult choice."
I understand Barcelona would never pay a huge sum to take him back. It would be unthinkable to cough up silly money - a fee of around £45million is the least Arsenal would expect - for a player they let slip from their grasp.
So Madrid is the obvious choice. Yet the Arsenal midfielder insists he would not force his way out by publicly declaring his desire to leave.
He continued: "I will never do that. It's not the way I am. "If I have to say I want to leave I will do it face to face. "If one day I'm not happy, I am the first who will tell the manager."
He added: "I admire Arsene Wenger but each of us has his own life and looks after his own interests."
Fabregas' confessions came just one week after he told Spanish TV that there was no comparison between the fantastic team spirit in his national side and the morose atmosphere at Arsenal.
He said: "It's difficult. What is clear is that, if you're at a club that doesn't win anything, the fans want to see new faces. They want to have hope.
"I am well in England. What happens is that every player likes to win and at Arsenal we've won nothing for the last four years.
"It's difficult to explain how good the camaraderie is in the Spain team.
"I am now at Arsenal, where there isn't this social group which is so human, so friendly, a group of normal people like my friends and we don't talk about things too much."
Wenger will be worried ...
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what is he trying to prove here buy saying this? is he trying to engineer a move to RM or Barcelona?
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selfish says selfish loh... talk so much...
just say you dun wan a club without trophies.... give so many excuse...
he is just a young noob adult...
if he is interested in helping arsenal... he should complain less and do more for arsenal...
let him go.. let those who appreciate arsenal come ...
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sell him to barcelona for 60m lol then use the money to buy more young players lol
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he is trying to let AW and arsenal boards know that he is frustrated at the arsenal transfer policy.
it is just normal that players want to win trophy. at least it show he is hungry for success.
If we are in his shoes, a star player in a team that could not achieve anything for years..would you leave for team with ambitions at least?
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Fabregas is right, Arsenal need a dose of football Viagra
Power failure: Fabregas has put his finger on Arsenal's problem
Perhaps the funniest moment I have ever witnessed in football came at Craven Cottage before a Fulham-Arsenal match a few years ago. Mohamed Al Fayed was proudly showing me around his stadium, where he is rightly adored by the fans for his prolonged financial commitment, when we bumped into Arsene Wenger.
'Ah, Arsene, good to see you, I think your boys are going to need a little help today,' laughed Mohamed. Wenger looked bemused. 'What kind of help?'
'This kind,' explained the Harrods tycoon, delving into his pocket and handing the astonished Arsenal manager two small blue tablets.
Wenger's smile rapidly turned to concern. 'What are these?' he asked, frowning. 'Viagra,' chuckled Mohamed. 'They will help your team get it up later.'
At which point, I, Arsene and Mohamed all fell about laughing.
I never found out what Wenger did with those pills but I was reminded of them last week when Cesc Fabregas blasted Arsenal for being 'impotent'.
In one word, our young captain perfectly encapsulated what's wrong at the Emirates. Because if you study the dictionary definition of 'impotence' then the precise meaning is varied but quite clear in its general message: 'Lack of strength and power, feebleness, inability, imbecility, chronic failure to sustain performance.'
How odd that it takes a Spaniard to conjure up the right English word for the problem. But how timely, too. Because impotence is rife at Arsenal these days. Most of the players seem to suffer from it, as do the manager, the board and the fans.
We have become, collectively, a physically and emotionally dysfunctional group. And the reason for that is we've forgotten what's it like to score, to win, to beat our chests in triumph. Instead, our lives are trapped in an inert world of persistent under-performance, bitter disappointment, pathetic excuse and enduring shame.
Not surprising, really, when you consider that the main causes of impotence are 'stress and anxiety from work', 'problems with your relationship', 'depression', 'boredom' and 'unresolved orientation'.
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I'm not quite sure what that last one alludes to, actually, but given that I've felt pretty disorientated for the last year, I'll accept the charge.
Fabregas is not 'doing an Adebayor' as it's known in the trade - flirting shamelessly with foreign clubs in the close season while hammering his own team to hide his own shortcomings.
He has made it crystal clear since the 'impotence' comment that he is 100 per cent committed to Arsenal and has no intention of leaving.
Which should buy us at least another year with him. But his stinging remarks deserve to be taken seriously.
'The absence of titles at Arsenal is what angers me most,' he raged. 'Ronaldo left Manchester United because he had nothing left to win. For me it is the opposite.
'For four years now we've needed a title to regain belief in ourselves. This year we were giving everything but we couldn't reach the level expected at Arsenal. When you win, you're well, but when you don't, everyone is in a bad mood.'
It's bad enough feeling impotent at 44, like I do as a season-ticket holder. But imagine feeling it at 21, when you're a handsome young sporting superstar at the peak of your powers and supposedly pumping with testosterone? That's got to be torture, right?
I applaud Fabregas for what he said and for when he said it. Because this is the time for Arsenal to look hard in the mirror and ask the tough questions.
Do we want to be Premier League contenders again? Do we actually want to win things? Do we want to seriously challenge the big boys of European football any more?
If the answers are Yes, Yes and Yes then the people who run the club need to cure this collective impotence with some large doses of Viagra.
There is no shame in seeking help for such a problem. Pele, the greatest player in history, promoted it in TV commercials, for goodness sake. And if they have any trouble locating it, then I'm sure Mohamed Al Fayed has got plenty of spare supply. But Viagra we need, in any form we can get it.
Like everyone connected with Arsenal at the moment, I am heartily sick and tired of feeling impotent, of being the butt of jokes (from Spurs fans, too. How embarrassing is THAT?), of going to bed at night knowing I'm going to wake up feeling just as depressed as I was the day before.
Viagra's not cheap. But it works. And it comes in numerous different names these days - 'Eto'o', 'Tevez', 'Villa' are among the many exciting brand names all currently available, and all highly effective.
Fabregas has identified the problem. I've identified the cure. Over to you, Arsene.