Sport

Puyol: Fabregas will join Bar231a eventually

July 19, 2010 Edition 1

Soccer

LONDON: Barcelona captain Carles Puyol is convinced Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas will move to the Nou Camp - even if the Spanish champions have to wait another 12 months to seal the deal.

Puyol spent the past six weeks with Fabregas as the pair helped Spain win the World Cup in South Africa and the defender has no doubts that his compatriot would love to return to Bar231a.

Fabregas, who began his career in Catalonia before moving to Arsenal as a teenager, had talks with Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger before the World Cup in a bid to persuade the Gunners to let him leave.

Wenger remains adamant Arsenal will not sell their prize asset and there is no sign of the deal progressing at present, but Puyol still expects Fabregas to get his wish eventually.

"Cesc is a really nice guy and desperate to become a Barcelona player," Puyol told the Daily Star on Sunday. "But he is not the sort of player to be ruthless and start using the media to get him the move that he wants.

"I think Arsenal need to respect his class and show the same class by giving the guy who has given so much to them the move that he and his family want.

"He isn't just being deprived of moving to the best club in the world. More importantly, he is being deprived of coming home."

Puyol believes it is Arsenal's failure to win silverware for the past five years that has convinced Fabregas now is the time to quit the Premier League club.

"He has tried everything to win trophies at Arsenal and when he sees the success so many of his Spanish teammates are having at Barcelona, it's only natural that he should want to be a part of that.

"He is the future of Barcelona and Arsenal can't do anything to stop that. I have just spent six weeks with him and there is only one club he wants to be at," Puyol said.

"The worst-case scenario is that we have to wait another 12 months for him to join us - but Arsenal, Barcelona and Cesc know that is the very worst-case scenario."

Puyol's comments came 24 hours after Wenger attempted to draw a line under the affair.

"He's such an important player for us, he's our captain and we want to keep him," said Wenger. "That's why we're not listening to any offers," he said. - Sapa-AFP