Cesc Fabregas And Samir Nasri Set To Depart Arsenal, Tottenham's Top Four Chances Just Get Better

That sound you just heard? It was Harry Redknapp and Kenny Dalglish cheering. If a new report from The Guardian is to be believed - and to be honest, I don't even trust them anymore - Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri are on their way out of Arsenal. Fabregas has been on the way to Barcelona for three years now, while Nasri's contract is almost up so Arsene Wenger was keen to suck as much money out of Manchester City as possible. If sold, the two players will go for a combined £60m.

Arsenal are a club that spends within their means, but is currently well-off financially, so Wenger will almost certainly have all of that money to spend if he desires. He'd probably be best off spreading the money around to buy four quality players - two replacements, a defender, and a goalkeeper - but he'll probably just buy two players and stash the rest for a rainy day. Because, you know, he's Wenger.

Of course, this is all speculative right now. Back in the day a report from The Guardian meant that the deal was done, but that is no longer the case. Not to defame David Hytner, who does some good work, but he is also commissioned to write transfer rumor rubbish on occasion. Additionally, I feel that his employer has moved towards a more tabloid-ish editorial strategy over the last 15 months or so. They are considerably more credible than the Mirror, Sun, or Daily Mail, but they are no longer the authority on football news that they once were.

If this story is true and both players are out of the door at the Emirates Stadium, the race for fourth place just changed considerably. Wenger can keep his team the favorite for fourth by making some intelligent signings, but whether or not he's willing to instantly spend the money he rakes in on the players he needs remains to be seen.

Fourth place is there for the taking if this goes down, Harry. Go get a striker and put Le Arse and Arsene out of their misery.