Source: Eurosport
Fabregas not for sale, insists Wenger
LONDON (AFP) - Arsene Wenger insists Cesc Fabregas is not for sale at any price after Barcelona were once again linked with a bid for the Spain midfielder.[LNB]Fabregas left Barcelona as a teenager to join Arsenal but he has repeatedly been a target for the Catalan club over the last three years.[LNB]The close-season departures of Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Toure to Manchester City and Wenger's struggle to find top-class replacements has left many experts predicting Fabregas will be the next to leave for a more ambitious club.[LNB]But Wenger, whose side start their Premier League campaign at Everton on Saturday, said on Friday: "Do you really think we sell now our players one day before the championship starts, players who are basic players of the team? There is no chance.[LNB]"You cannot stop people from having a lot of creative imagination during their sleepless nights, but that does not mean we will do it.[LNB]"I believe that in life you are committed to clubs with contracts and in no contract is the colour of your blood described.[LNB]"We are the beginning of a new season now, and it is important that everybody focuses - me, Fabregas everybody else, just on being successful for the club we love, and the best way we can do that is to do well."[LNB]Despite Adebayor and Toure's exits, Wenger maintains his squad is stronger than this time last year and can win the Premier League for the first time since 2004.[LNB]"We are young and have developed. Why should we not be better in August than we were in March?" he said.[LNB]"We lost two great players. However, we have bought (Thomas) Vermaelen to replace Kolo and we have Eduardo back, who for me is a great player.[LNB]"We have players who develop very well and are young, like Carlos Vela, Nicklas Bendtner, (Theo) Walcott, who are all strikers, so I do not feel we are short in these positions.[LNB]"The ambition is to finish as high as possible. What is as high as possible is to finish first, it is as simple as that.[LNB]"The competition is of a high level and many aspire to that, so let's continue to play the game the way we want to play it and I believe we can show that we have made big steps forward."[LNB]Wenger revealed Arsenal are no further forward in any potential transfer deals, which have included a look at bringing former captain Patrick Vieira back as well as Bordeaux's Morocco striker Marouane Chamakh and Fulham defender Brede Hangeland.[LNB]"I have all the players in place," he added. "If we need to add one or two more, the transfer period is open until August 31.[LNB]"Ideally you want not to move any more, but you always have to adjust. If there is a need there, we will do it.[LNB]"There are still a lot of players who want to come to Arsenal, because they like the way we play and develop them.[LNB]"They feel they get access to top level competition, so I do not think we have a financial handicap.[LNB]"The market now is a world market, so you can always find good players."
