Wenger hails Fabregas as captain fantastic

London: Arsene Wenger has dismissed any doubts over the leadership of Cesc Fabregas and predicted that he could go on to succeed Iker Casillas as the captain of Spain.

Fabregas's leadership has been questioned by Denilson, his midfield team-mate, while his ungracious reaction to Ipswich Town's victory in the first leg of their Carling Cup semi-final has also drawn criticism.

Wenger, though, has hailed Fabregas as a player who would give his life in order for Arsenal to win.

"What people forget is that he is 23 years old," the Arsenal manager said.

"What he does on the pitch at that age, as a leader, is absolutely fantastic. He has character, intelligence and he is strong mentally. He is ready to die to win. He has natural charisma. I believe he will be an outstanding leader and he will lead the national team in Spain without any problem," Wenger added.

Inherent traits

"I do not believe in being a born leader but you can see that the qualities are there or someone can develop into a leader."

That leadership was set to be put to the test yesterday against an Ipswich team who Wenger expected to defend deeply and again try to punish Arsenal with "direct" balls into their defence.

The match is particularly significant for the opportunity Arsenal have in this season's Carling Cup to win their first trophy since 2005.

"If we have that one it's out of the way," Robin van Persie said.

"I believe that can give us a lot of confidence. Just to lift that trophy and get that feeling together. The fans start to believe and, from that moment we can really go for it."

Wenger says he was going play his "strongest" team yesterday, but the squad was to be rotated again after the 3-0 win over Wigan.

The chances of Arsenal signing a new centre-back this month also appear to be diminishing.

"We are nowhere near. At the moment I'm not too confident," Wenger said.

Wenger, however, is hopeful of securing a deal for Southampton's 17 year-old midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

His father, former England forward Mark Chamberlain, said: "Arsenal — with the manager there, the way they play and how they develop players — I think they are the ideal choice."