Cesc Fabregas believes Arsenal could go on to dominate English football in the coming years if they can get over the line in this year’s Premier League title race.
The Gunners currently lead a three-way battle with Liverpool and Manchester City, sitting on top of the table ahead of the Reds on goal difference.
Having fallen away from the title race last season, Mikel Arteta’s side are sticking around and former midfielder Fabregas says the mindset will change by becoming winners this term.
“Obviously you can imagine what it will mean. More than just winning a title but the belief will be back, the trust between the players and the staff and the fans and the whole club,” the Spaniard, who played over 300 times for the Gunners, told the PA news agency.
“The family that was there when I was there will be back, the moments of ‘we are strong and we know we can win’; at the moment it is a little bit ‘are we ready are we not’?
“If they can manage to win the first one, I believe it could become a constant threat for Arsenal to be challenging for all the top titles.”
Arteta, whose side drew 2-2 with Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-final first leg on Tuesday, came under pressure at the start of his tenure as his project took time to come to fruition.
But the Gunners stuck with him and Fabregas, who is now assistant manager at Italian Serie B club Como, says his former club are an example of how to do things properly.
“It is all about Edu and the owners giving him the time and the right tools to prove himself,” he said.
“When this happens, the structure, the vision and the trust comes together and things happen. That is why I am happy.
“I always use them as an example, the first two years of Mikel, in any other club or someone else managing the situation could have just got rid of Mikel and said ‘we are moving to another direction’.
“But they had a clear plan, a clear process, they had the right steps, they invested in young quality players and now you get all the results of these ups and downs of the first two or three years.
“They are there, they have done really well and they are a proper example of how football should be done.”
Fabregas will be donning his boots again as he has signed up to Enterprise’s ‘Rent-A-Player’ campaign, where he will join a lucky five-a-side team in the UK for one night only.
The 2010 World Cup winner knows all about the physicality and passion of English football after long spells at Arsenal and Chelsea, so knows to bring his shin pads.
“For me it will be a great experience, he added. “Talking to people, seeing different views of football. I guess it’s like street football and exchanging stories, thoughts, experiences. It is going to be fantastic.
“I will definitely be taking the shin pads because these games are very competitive, you never know where it might lead.”
:: Entry to Enterprise’s ‘Rent-A-Player’ competition closes on Friday, April 12, with applicants in the UK able to enter via enterpriserent-a-player.com
