Don't weigh Cesc down with the Gunners captaincy, urges former star Neill


Arsenal legend Terry Neill believes it is too early for Cesc Fabregas to be given the Gunners captaincy.

He said: 'At this stage and at his age, I don't think he should be burdened with it.

'Without it he is given the freedom to just play.'

Scroll down for more

Cesc Fabregas trains with children

Spreading the message: Cesc Fabregas trains with children during a class organised by Uzbek soccer club Kuruvchi in Tashkent

Despite losing Gilberto Silva, Mathieu Flamini and Alexander Hleb as fellow
midfielders, Fabregas is confident Arsenal are on the verge of success and is
not concerned by the only summer arrivals being Samir Nasri and Aaron Ramsey.

'We sign what we need,' he said. 'Sometimes teams pay a fortune for a player
with experience, who knows how to win, who at key moments can win you a game -
and that's important.

'But at Arsenal there's a different policy and we have to respect that. The day we win something with these players, with this policy, this atmosphere and style, there will be a big change - almost a revelation.

'I speak to people in the game a lot and they tell me about Ajax who in the 1970s won the European Cup with an extremely young team and changed the face of the game.

'People tell me that we are on course to do that, but we need that stepping stone of winning something, of knowing how to win.'

Meanwhile Udinese have rubbished reports linking their midfielder Gokhan Inler, 24, with a £5million move to Arsenal. 

Newcastle have also been linked with a move and the 24-year-old Turkish-born player is viewed as the ideal replacement for Emre, who has joined Fenerbahce this summer.

PRE-SEASON: Barnet (A, 2-1) Szombathelyi Haladas (A, 1-1) Burgenland (A, 10-2) Today VfB Stuttgart (A) August 2 Juventus (H) 3 Real Madrid (H) 6 Huddersfield (A) 8 Ajax (A) 9 Seville (Amsterdam) TBA Boreham Wood (A).

No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards.

We are no longer accepting comments on this article.

Who is this week's top commenter? Find out now