Cesc Fabregas: Next to go?
IS Thierry Henry's exit the tipping point for Arsenal - a
year after they reached the Champions League final? Long-serving
vice-chairman David Dein shocked insiders by quitting the Gunners
just weeks ago.
Now one of the greatest players in Arsenal's history has seemingly
done a U-turn, joining Barcelona 12 months after resisting their
heavy overtures. And Gunners chief Arsene Wenger is on the
shortlist to boss Barca's Spanish rivals Real Madrid. But have
Arsenal acted shrewdly in off-loading skipper Henry - 30 in August
- after his modest season beset by injuries?
Or is the departure of the Gunners' greatest ever goalscorer the
opening of a one-way conveyor belt out of the Emirates Stadium for
their hottest talents? Midfielder Cesc Fabregas, the stylish leader
of Arsenal's new generation, insists his future depends on that of
Wenger. And there is a real split within the Gunners' camp on
whether they need a mega-millionaire from overseas to maintain
their place among the Premiership's four-club elite.
So have Arsenal been wise or wayward in letting Henry leave? Is
this the start of the end for Wenger's golden era? Or can they stun
English football by bouncing back in the way Manchester United did
to land the title after ousting heroes Andrei Kanchelskis, Paul
Ince and Mark Hughes in 1995 in favour of kids?
