– The headline isn’t seeking hits. It is merely making a point at the more…attention seeking members of the British + Spanish press.

Just when will Barcelona get the message eh?

They are not just flogging a dead horse in their pursuit of our captain, they are more flogging it, covering it in petrol and setting it on fire. Utterly pointless and a complete waste of time.

It is the hypocrisy and the complete and utter stupidity of some members of that club that truly astound me – one minute you have the club president claiming that “public pursuits of players is just not our style” and later on that evening on the club’s very own television channel their captain said this:

“After seven years of great service, I thought Arsenal could have granted him his dream move. Cesc has given everything to Arsenal to try to win a trophy but they haven’t matched his expectations. I won’t say he is in a prison, as we know how privileged we are as football players.

“But after how clear Cesc made it that he wanted to be in Barcelona, I thought they would have granted him that. We all thought a deal would be done this summer.  But Arsenal have refused to talk and we are going to have to wait another year to get Cesc home.”

If that isn’t a public pursuit I don’t know what is. You do have to question the intelligence of some of these players and officials – when will they not get the message that Cesc Fabregas signed this amazing piece of paper with a few words on, its called a contract. With me so far Barcelona? Yeah? He put a thing called his signature on this piece of paper, this means that he is contracted at Arsenal for at least another five or six years. Do you know what this means? No? Ok, let me explain.

WE DON’T HAVE TO SELL HIM. IT WAS HIS CHOICE TO SIGN.

I don’t think I can explain it any simpler.

I think it is high time the media stopped reporting the articles regurgitated in the Spanish press, all they are doing is trying to keep it in the public domain, just picking and picking away at Arsenal, at Fabregas and everybody connected to this transfer they so desire. It seems that for the whole length of this pursuit they have forgotten about two things.. Cesc’s contract with Arsenal Football Club and Arsenal Football Club itself. They might have wiped the floor with us on the pitch but we still merit respect, we are the ones with the power to sanction this transfer and if anything they should be around Highbury House licking the shoes of all the club officials to try and butter them up.

What I just can’t get my head round is this desire to have one of the world’s finest footballers on the cheap. £29 million quid. To you and me, that is a fortune you can only dream of having in your bank account, but for a business and sporting asset – and a fine one at that, it is peanuts. Actually, I worded that wrong. I can’t get my head round just why they think they are entitled to this player for a smaller sum. It is arrogance in the extreme.

There is nothing in these articles printed every single day in the press anymore. His future lies at the Emirates Stadium – Barcelona players have admitted as much, Arsene Wenger has stated his intention to keep him for this season and seasons beyond that too:

“Look at the length of his contract and you will see he has five or six years to go, when you sign a contract it means we are committed to a player to pay him and keep him no matter what happens.”

Have at that Barcelona.

There is absolutely no reason for all this stuff to continue now – continue it will though. At first we will have the ‘CESC TO BARCA IN JAN DEAL’ headlines. Following that will be the ‘CESC AGREES TO BARCA SUMMER TRANSFER’ headlines. There will be no escape and it should just encourage the club to keep their stance, and even strengthen it if possible. The Spanish rags, AS, Marca, Sport.es… let them keep writing. The ITV commentator that declared Cesc a Barca player during the World Cup, the likes of Andy Durham and Darren Gough on TalkSHITE radio… you are the ones that will make the club even more stubborn in their resolve. This is a radio station that slags off Marlon King wanting to resume his career and demand he is not given another chance whilst they have Stan Collymore on their payroll – and when someone points that out they cut them off !!!

People I have the solution.

Don’t listen to them. Don’t increase their listening figures so they can demand more advertising money.

It is the only way they will listen to you, too.

There will be little more comment from me on this whole scenario, I’ll talk about our club captain of course but when it involves Barcelona I won’t blog it up – in most cases I will just add it to the Cesc Fabregas tapping up dossier compiled on a separate page (click here). You can add to that what you want as well in the comments, I’ll publish any evidence you get on there.

Right, I do realise I have missed out on the stuff from today’s press conference but there really wasn’t anything new spoken about. There is also the small matter of a game against AC Milan today in the Emirates Cup. I will write about it after but it may well be after the conclusion of the tournament as I am attending on Sunday, it will be manic. Young Guns author Jamie Sanderson and myself will also be meeting with Mirror Football journalist John Cross so if there is anything you want us to ask on your behalf let me know in the comments.

Right. Up yours, Barcelona.

Til tomorrow.