Should Arsenal have re-signed him?
MB: Arsenal probably aren’t in great need of another midfielder of his type, but passing up the chance to sign him and letting him go to a Premier League rival looks a mistake now.
JD: Again, yes, despite being well stocked in midfield it was surely an opportunity that should’ve been too good to decline.
AD: Yes. Arsenal’s priorities might be elsewhere, and they certainly have excellent quality attacking midfielders in their starting XI, but Santi Cazorla, Aaron Ramsey, Mesut Ozil and Jack Wilshere all missed substantial periods of the season through injury. Fabregas’ versatility too could come in handy too – few teams have encountered a false nine in the Premier League, and his ability to play as deep lying playmaker, attacking midfielder and just off a centre forward could prove have proved invaluable for the Gunners. Instead, it will be Chelsea that profit from those attributes.
SG: Absolutely, that could be something that comes back to haunt Arsene Wenger. Arsenal are in desperate need of someone to pull the strings in the middle and in Fabregas they would have had someone that knows, understands and loves the culture of the club.
PH: I can see why they didn’t, they have high hopes for the likes of Wilshere and Ramsey. But even so, you cannot pass up the opportunity to bring in a man of his class.
TS: Arsene Wenger could really live to regret allowing Fabregas to slip him by – even if the club do have a plethora of central midfielders currently.