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Barcelona sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta downbeat in chase for Arsenal skipper Cesc Fabregas
Ex-goalkeeper wishes club had never let Gunners captain leave...
4 Aug 2010 17:49:00
By Matt Monaghan
Barcelona sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta is close to admitting defeat in the bid to land Arsenal's Cesc Fabregas and wishes the Catalans had never let him go.
Fabregas, 23, was snapped up as a teenager by the Gunners and has since go on to develop into one of the top midfielders in the world. This form has seen Barca chase his signature all summer, with a £29 million bid being rejected in June.
Speaking to reporters in Korea for the club's pre-season tour, the ex-Spain international goalkeeper believed Barca had little chance of signing Fabregas this summer.
He said: "The only solution would have been for him not to leave [in the first place].
Nevertheless, Zubizarreta hoped Fabregas would one day follow the path of ex-Manchester United defender Gerard Pique who rejoined the club four years after leaving to move to Old Trafford.
"Pique also went (to England) and then came back to show what a great player he is," stated Zubizarreta.
"Cesc is also a great footballer and perhaps the decision he took to go to Arsenal has made him a better player and a better person."
He added: "Any player from the youth system would like to be at a club like Barcelona, where it seems easy for them to play in the first team - other teams don't give so many opportunities to homegrown players."
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Fabregas, 23, was snapped up as a teenager by the Gunners and has since go on to develop into one of the top midfielders in the world. This form has seen Barca chase his signature all summer, with a £29 million bid being rejected in June.
Speaking to reporters in Korea for the club's pre-season tour, the ex-Spain international goalkeeper believed Barca had little chance of signing Fabregas this summer.
He said: "The only solution would have been for him not to leave [in the first place].
Nevertheless, Zubizarreta hoped Fabregas would one day follow the path of ex-Manchester United defender Gerard Pique who rejoined the club four years after leaving to move to Old Trafford.
"Pique also went (to England) and then came back to show what a great player he is," stated Zubizarreta.
"Cesc is also a great footballer and perhaps the decision he took to go to Arsenal has made him a better player and a better person."
He added: "Any player from the youth system would like to be at a club like Barcelona, where it seems easy for them to play in the first team - other teams don't give so many opportunities to homegrown players."
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