Cesc is torn - but I think he'll stay

ARSENE WENGER did not even wait to be asked about Cesc Fabregas.

Against all odds, the Arsenal boss claimed his captain will stay a Gunner.

Visibly exhausted from a 12-hour flight to Malaysia the Frenchman asked for a cup of coffee and settled on to a sofa at the club's HQ for the first leg of their pre-season Asia tour.

He told a packed Press conference assembled to publicise Arsenal's money-spinning visit to the Far East that both Fabregas and Samir Nasri would stay at the club.

The Emirates boss said: "So does Fabregas stay? We already answered the question.

"I am confident he will because I hope he will see that there will be no greater achievement for him in his life than to lead this team to success and that it will not be the right period for him to leave the club."

Wenger did not bury his head in the sand or try to fudge the Fabregas saga.

After six trophy-less years, and three summers of speculation about a return to Barcelona, Spanish star Fabregas' dream move seems closer than ever - particularly after he stayed at home for Arsenal's pre-season trip to Malaysia and China with a "muscle injury".

Wenger put it all in a nutshell. Yes, Fabregas wants to go back to Barca. No, he's not unhappy at Arsenal. He is torn between the two clubs.

Barcelona have had a £31.6million bid turned down and and, as long as no decision has been made, Wenger will try to convince his skipper to stay in North London rather than head back to his hometown club.

And, remarkably, he is confident that Fabregas, 24, will stay.

Optimistic is a more realistic assessment, of course. Hopeful, even.

Wenger even admitted he would let Fabregas go if that will make the midfielder happy... if the Catalan giants meet Arsenal's demands over their captain.

Not because Arsenal want to cash in on their skipper, far from it. But because they would already be doing Barcelona a favour by letting Fabregas go without putting him up for auction when Chelsea and Manchester City are ready to pay far more than the £40million price tag.

And because they will have to replace him.

Wenger added: "Cesc has always been torn between his love for Arsenal and the desire to play for the biggest team at the moment in the world.

"Yes, I had a meeting with him. I cannot speak about the meeting at all but he knows that I want him to stay.

"He can't force his way out - but you can only be in if you are completely in. He is the leader of the team. He has to be completely focused and convinced that he wants to stay.

"Yes, he won't leave unless Arsenal get the right fee. But we want to keep him and for us it's not a question of money. We are not there to make the money we are there to keep our best players.

"We manage the club well, to be in a position to say 'no' for any money. But, on the other hand, you need as well the player wanting to be with you."

Wenger assured fans that Nasri will stay - because otherwise Arsenal could not call themselves a big club.

There is more at stake than the £23m they stand to lose if he walks away for nothing next summer. Arsenal's prestige is worth infinitely more than that.

Wenger added: "You are the same people who reproach me for not spending money and now you reproach me when I want to spend it! It is in the interests of the club.

"I believe for us it is important the message we give out.

"For example you say about Fabregas leaving, Nasri leaving... if you give that message out you cannot pretend you are a big club.

"Because a big club first of all holds on to its big players and gives a message out to all the other big clubs that they just cannot come in and help themselves."

"Imagine the worst-case scenario and we lose Fabregas and Nasri. You cannot convince people you are ambitious after that."

Manchester rivals United and City have been locked in a battle for Nasri, who has one year left on his Emirates contract and has so far refused to sign a new one.

The French midfielder, 24, has travelled to the Far East with the Arsenal squad and Wenger insisted: "Samir's situation is clear for me - he stays.

"I've just told you that we are in a position where we can say no and we will in the case of Samir."

So, after weeks of the drip-drip effect of propaganda from the Catalan capital sapping the morale of Gooners fans, Wenger finally set the record straight.

The Arsenal chief would stand for no more of Barca's dirty tricks.

"It's all a matter of time" the Catalan rags kept telling us. "Wenger's agreed to let Cesc go", they yelled. Barca president Sandro Rosell even denigrated Fabregas publicly claiming "he's worth less than last season."

Wenger did admit Fabregas could yet decide to leave - but he vowed the saga will end one way or another very soon.
That could be as early as next Sunday when Arsenal return from their tour. If not earlier.

The Arsenal manager added: "If he said he was unhappy, that's the only way he could get out.

"I don't think he's unhappy but he wants to go back to Barcelona. If we wanted to sell and wanted to make it about money we could just ask who will give us the most.

"But for us it's not a question of money. It is a question of Fabregas wanting to be with us.

"And we will fight until the last second to keep him. We know the Barcelona story goes on for years now and we have to close that very quickly... in our favour."