If Cesc Had Left

So we have managed to hold on to Cesc, but what if we hadn't?
This kind of speculation seems to be reserved for the doom and
gloomers but I'm going to give it a go, because I don't think the
conclusion would be that bleak for Arsenal.

Earlier on in the summer, before the papers were covered in
quotes from Barca players, there was a lot of chatter about how
Arsenal were a sinking ship - our best players are leaving, our
manager, failing to win a trophy for centuries, will leave at the
end of his contract (and the season). The message was that
Arsenal are in a downward spiral and they're about to
disappear into nothingness.

But is that really true? Cesc is a very important player for us,
but those with an anti-Arsenal or anti-Wenger agenda tend to
overestimate his importance. Not by overestimating him as a
player (that's impossible) but by underestimating the strength
of Arsenal as a club. No doubt the departure of Cesc will be a
setback, but if we look a bit deeper we'll find that it'll be a
setback we'll recover from quickly and completely.

Cesc plays two roles in our team - one as a playmaker and
a scorer, a player who is central to every flowing move, the
fulcrum of the Arsenal attack. The other role is that of a
leader. Not only because he has the armband, but also
because he is one of longest serving members of the squad.
He is relatively young, but he already has a lot
of experience, which is a precious commodity in this
young side. So we need a player or two who can fulfill those
roles. There are few players in our first team that can play
the playmaker's role. Maybe not as well as Fabregas himself,
but well enough for an Arsenal team fighting for the title.
There's Samir Nasri, who did replace Cesc in the
center after his injury, looks comfortable in that role. His
best game was against Porto at the Emirates, and the
way he played, we didn't really miss Cesc. And he topped it
off by scoring that goal.The indication given by his pre-season
performances is that he'll be even better this season. I think
he is the most obvious and immediatereplacement.
The other options include Arshavin, Rosicky, and RvP.
They are all capable of playing in the hole behind the main
striker. They are all very creative and technical players.

But who can replace him as captain? Again we have more
than one choice, but I think our current vice captain RvP
would be the obvious and best successor. He is not only one
of the most gifted players on the planet, but he is someone
who really believes in the Arsenal way and he has the
hunger and drive to lead our players to success.
Then there are our extremely promising young players
like Ramsey and Wilshere. These two are cannot
immediately replace Cesc but in the near future they will
become a crucial part of our first team. I think because of
the incredible young talent we have at the club, the money
we get from Cesc's departure might not all be spent on
immediate signings. Some fans might find that
disappointing but I think our youngsters are good enough
that we don't need too many players coming in from outside.

And I think that is a crucial fact. We can compete without
spending a lot. So we might not be able to spend 50m
every season on new players, but we can rely on our young
players to step up and do the job. And when we do need
one or two signings to complement the talent already at the
club, we have the proper financial backing to do that.
That is, I believe, what makes us so strong, and it is the
reason why our stars leaving us in the past hasn't hurt
us too much.

It is also the reason the papers are all wrong to suggest
that Arsenal are in a crisis. There is no crisis, no sinking ship.
The beauty of what Arsene Wenger has created is that even
if Cesc leaves, even if Wenger himself leaves, the club can
still keep going steadily forward.