Wenger Has Vowed to "Fight" Before - And Lost

Arsene Wenger is facing a miserable transfer window ahead. Top players are likely to leave, including his captain and his player of the season, and despite Wenger's rallying cry and vow to fight to keep those players at Arsenal, it doesn't look as if the French manager can do very much about it. He said:

"Our position is always the same – we want to keep Cesc and I will fight as hard as I can to keep him. Samir Nasri is exactly the same. We will do everything we can to keep him."

But does it fill Arsenal fans with confidence? I wouldn't think so. Of course Wenger wants to keep the players at Arsenal. Nasri and Fabregas are vital to Arsenal's future success - but if the players want to leave - which they do in both cases, Wenger can do little to stop them.

It is well known that Cesc Fabregas has been waiting patiently and respectfully for his move back home to Barcelona. In the meantime, he has played well as Arsenal's captain - a young man for others around him to look up to - but his mind is very clearly made up about where he wants to be. He wants to be playing with Xavi, Iniesta and Messi, in the sun of Spain, back home winning trophies and thriving on success, rather than failing miserable to carry this Arsenal team to success or any form of silverware for six years.

Nasri meanwhile has apparently "demanded" to be let go from the Arsenal shackles after he discovered like the rest of us that Manchester United had placed a £20 million bid for him. Nasri, in talks with Arsenal has reportedly made it clear of his intentions to leave London in search of silverware, and Manchester United is his favoured destination.

Wenger may be hugely reluctant to let any other players leave for fellow English clubs, competing against Arsenal next year, but it looks as if he will have little choice. His calls to "fight" for the players to stay mean little when it was only a few months ago, in the midst of Arsenal's collapse in the Premier League title race that the Arsenal manager vowed to "fight like mad" to win the Premier League.

Manchester united finished the fight victorious, and with a lot left to spare. It may end up like that again this time round with Nasri. Unless Nasri ends up "doing a Rooney" and signs the improved contract offer Arsenal have now placed on the table of £115,000 a week, then he will either be leaving this summer for £20-25 million or departing next summer for free.

Wenger is unfortunately fighting a losing battle, and one that he knows deep down he will lose. If he can persuade the pair to stay it will arguably be Arsenal's biggest success story since their last trophy back in 2005. If not, Wenger's long rebuilding process will begin again, and he will be hoping that this time it will be a little more fruitful.

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