• Premier League

Wenger hails Joe Cole and asks Fabregas to stay

ESPN Soccernet staff
June 10, 2010
Cesc Fabregas has been in good form for Spain © Getty Images
Enlarge

Arsene Wenger has made clear he has no intention of selling Cesc Fabregas to Barcelona as the departure of the captain would undermine all he has tried to achieve at Arsenal.

Barcelona recently failed with a €35 million offer for Fabregas but remain intent on recruiting the player who left their youth setup to become Wenger's greatest prodigy in North London in 2003.

Fabregas has set the bar for Arsenal's young recruits and Wenger feels that losing the Spain international would be a damaging blow to the club's chances of ending their wait for silverware.

"What is important is that Cesc has a great World Cup and that he comes back to Arsenal with a great desire to do well for the club," Wenger said.

"We want to keep our best players - that's my huge determination - I built this team for years from 16 and 17 years of age with most of the players. We want to continue to work with them because we feel we are very close, and strengthen the team in a very strong way."

While speculation continues to surround Fabregas, it is reported that Arsenal are leading the chase for Joe Cole, who is available as a free agent following the news that he has been released from his Chelsea contract. Wenger would not confirm whether he has made a move for the England international but was very complimentary about Cole's capabilities.

"I like him as a player because when he played against us he always did a lot of damage against Arsenal," Wenger said. "He can create impact through his creative play. He can dribble, he can pass, he can score goals."

Cole secured a place at the World Cup finals despite suggestions he would be excluded by Fabio Capello, but Theo Walcott was not so fortunate. Wenger says the news hit his young charge hard.

"It was a massive surprise to me. It was a very sad surprise and he was destroyed," Wenger said. "What do you expect him to be? He was certainly expecting to go to the World Cup.

"I expected him to go, but it is part of the game. I was personally very sad. But he will bounce back. He is very young. He will come back stronger."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
Close

ABOUT COOKIES

To help make this website better, to improve and personalize your experience and for advertising purposes, are you happy to accept cookies and other technologies.

More Info Here Cookie Choices