Whether he is truly wanted by Barcelona fans or even needed by the team itself, is another matter - and almost an irrelevance. Because Cesc looks likely to be on his way to the club, as those who matter most (Guardiola and his coaching staff) move to bring in the Spain star.
It begs the question, however: what is the real role for Cesc? Yes, Barcelona will be playing in six competitions next season. Yes, rotation will be necessary. Yes, there will be injuries. And no, Xavi can't play in all of the games. But every team has a theoretical strongest line-up and Barcelona's best XI is about as strong as they come. So will Fabregas be a starter in that first team? Or will he be a luxury sub? Here, Goal.com assesses the options available to Guardiola for next season, when the Catalan club will look to build on their huge success of the last three campaigns.
The men in the middle | Can Xavi and Cesc both start for Barcelona next season?
Like David Villa last summer, Cesc would require little adjustment to life at the Spanish champions; half of the team celebrated both European Championship and World Cup triumphs alongside him, meaning there will be nothing to surprise either club or player. The midfielder has, of course, long been linked with a return, but it is perhaps this familiarity that Barca crave most. While players such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Alexander Hleb have struggled to adapt in recent seasons, there is likely to be no such problem with Cesc, who was raised on the Barca philosophy at La Masia before leaving to join Arsenal as a 16-year-old.
What has often been assessed is where Fabregas fits into the grand plan. He has been regarded as the playmaker-in-waiting, Xavi's successor who will share first team duties with the cultured creator as his illustrious career reaches its climax. Xavi will be 32 in January, and while his performances haven't waned, his body eventually will. But in June 2010 he signed a contract extension until 2016 - hardly an intention on the club's behalf to phase him out. And his game is such that he is effectively ageless; passing ability and ball retention like his are permanent characteristics, and he won't want to relinquish the position that has been his own for the best part of a decade.
“There is some money in a box [set aside] for this player and we will try until the last day to sign Cesc because he will make our squad better.” - Pep Guardiola
Similarly, would Cesc be happy to patiently bide his time, and await his opportunity? Clubs don't generally spend €35 million (£30.7m) or more on a player only for him to share the bench with the coach. Barca could experiment with a series of scenarios that allow Cesc to play alongside, rather than supplant, the current first-choice trio of Sergio Busquets, Andres Iniesta and Xavi, but the club's 4-3-3 system is sacred and, unless there is a change to that successful system, someone will surely have to miss out.
Below we assess four possible options available to Guardiola, as Barca get ready to welcome Cesc into their first-team plans following several years of punching and posturing in the transfer market to bring about his arrival.
So how could Barcelona incorporate Fabregas into their team?
4-3-3 | GROOMED TO SUCCEED XAVI
INIESTA BUSQUETS FABREGAS
PEDRO MESSI VILLA
Barca's first-choice three becomes unaffected by Cesc's arrival, with Xavi allowed time to recuperate for key matches by easing the new arrival into the system gently alongside Iniesta and Busquets, to create the vision of the future - but not quite the present. He would be slowly introduced, starting off as something of a luxury substitute, to allow continuity as Xavi retains his role.
It must be remembered that Xavi has barely rested since the commencement of the 2007-08 season; Euro 2008, the Confederations Cup and then World Cup 2010 have swept up his summers, with fatigue, and tendonitis, beginning to take their toll earlier last season. While he shows no sign of slowing at the moment, another year of intense action could leave him drained, allowing Cesc to be his younger, quicker incarnation, and crucially to be considered a member of the best XI.
4-3-3 | PARTNER FOR XAVI & INIESTA
INIESTA XAVI FABREGAS
PEDRO MESSI VILLA
Xavi, Iniesta and Cesc in the same midfield three? Dissenters would point to a lack of defensive cover, but with those three in top form, how often would the opposition see the ball? Guardiola has already employed Busquets in defence this season, and the 22-year-old's height and tackling ability could make him a potential long-term alternative to the ageing Carles Puyol, freeing up a position in the middle.
4-2-3-1 | FORMATION CHANGE
XAVI BUSQUETS
INIESTA FABREGAS VILLA
MESSI
Perhaps the most unlikely, given Pep Guardiola's unequivocal belief in 4-3-3, but 4-2-3-1, employed to tournament-winning effect by Vicente Del Bosque for Spain in South Africa last summer, would not be a major departure for many of these players. Xavi dropping deep, to play alongside Busquets, a player who can do his bidding allowing him to dictate play from deeper, could free up an attacking position, and Cesc would be more than comfortable in occupying the role he currently performs for Arsenal.
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