Former Arsenal star Cesc Fàbregas is the subject of a €30m bid from David Moyes' Manchester United and with his chances of regular football at current club Barcelona not entirely assured, a move back to the Premier League may appeal.
It's an ambitious attempt from United to sign a player adored by the Gunners faithful, but if they pull it off it could prove to be one of the most vital signings of the Moyes era, as the ex-Everton boss tries to make his mark at Old Trafford. The question is, where will Fàbregas fit in with so many top-class midfielders on the books already? Also, should he sign up, who'll be forced to drop out of the equation for a place in the starting line-up to accommodate the arrival of the Spanish playmaker?
The main men in the middle of the park at the moment remain Michael Carrick, Tom Cleverley and Shinji Kagawa. With doubts over the long-term fitness of Darren Fletcher, Moyes will be wary of relying on him too much at this stage. Ryan Giggs has been appointed player/coach at the club and may be ready to take a small step back from the playing side. Meanwhile, Anderson always fills the vacancy of substitute or squad back-up and new manager Moyes will still see him as such.
Carrick enjoys sitting in front of the back four, providing the time on the ball for others to burst forward before United go on the attack. His position seems secure in the team, but it's Cleverley and Kagawa that appear most under threat from the promise of a new arrival.
Cleverley has matured and progressed to a point where he's now part of the full international side of England. His form for United has largely been good, despite some temporary drops in standard. Kagawa took a while to settle last season after his switch from Borussia Dortmund, but showed glimpses of his capabilities during the second half of last season, which suggests he could be an important member of the United side going forward.
Barça stayed silent after news of the offer broke yesterday, but the fans at Camp Nou didn't take to their returning 'hero' in the way the hierarchy at the Catalan club would've hoped. Fàbregas was heavily criticised by the paying public on numerous occasions for his performances, having seen him run the show in Arsenal's colours before he moved back to his hometown; the Blaugrana may choose to cut their losses and let him go back to England.
There's no doubting the quality Fàbregas holds and, on the form he displayed with the Gunners, he'd be a better option than Cleverley or even Kagawa. You could add Wayne Rooney into the mix due to Alex Ferguson's previous use of him as an attacking midfielder, but he's better suited to a role up front and Fàbregas would provide a smarter solution to the attacking midfield slot than the unsettled striker.
Potentially, the arrival of the Spain international would cause at least two players to become unhappy with the situation at Old Trafford. So, it's not so much where would Fàbregas fit in, it's more a question of who should Moyes leave out?
That conundrum will meet the Scotsman head-on should he complete the proposed swoop for the Barcelona man. However, Moyes possesses a strong backbone from years of Premier League management and will surely make his decisions regardless of the possible fall-out they could cause regarding his players' happiness within the squad. His focus will solely be on improving the team as much as possible and the purchase of one of the best midfielders in Europe would certainly achieve that.
Current stars of the United midfield will simply have to get used to the extra competition, after all, they are employed by one of the biggest clubs in the world. If they joined expecting an easy ride then it was an awful decision to sign for United in the first place.
It'll set off a fierce battle for a starting berth should Moyes complete the capture of the Spaniard, but it's one the 26-year-old is more than capable of winning.
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