Cesc is ready to buck the trend at Arsenal

When Arsenal run out tonight to face Rotherham there will be a variety of new names - but only one with number 57 on the back of his shirt.

Known as Cesc, or perhaps from now on as the youngest player ever to represent Arsenal, his real name is Francesc Fabregas Soler.

The Gunners pinched the 16-year-old, who was top scorer and voted best player at the recent Under-17 World Cup, from under the noses of his club, Barcelona. Cesc was spotted a year ago when Spain beat England Under-16s 1-0, and Arsene Wenger's scouting team wasted no time in building a heavy dossier on him.

Now Cesc has signed with Arsenal until 2009. He was so highly valued that negotiations between Arsenal and Barcelona became complex. Too young to sign professionally for Barca, Cesc's move to Arsenal simply needed to comply with FIFA rules that if his family was already domiciled in England, he was free to move so long as the new club paid Barcelona no less than £50,000 "formation" costs.

However, Barcelona vice president Sandro Rosell arrived at Highbury confident of muscling a few hundred thousand pounds out of Arsenal. He returned home with no money. In a meeting last month, Rosell was told that Barcelona still owed about £1million on the transfers of Emmanuel Petit and Marc Overmars and that the second of two friendlies between the clubs, which had a guaranteed underwriting of £1m in Arsenal's benefit, remained to be played.

It was time for horse-trading, including the loan of Gio Van Bronckhorst, the possible counter loan of Patrick Kluivert and when, if at all, to complete the second friendly in order to prevent Barcelona having to foot the bill for the £1m.