Cesc
Fabregas admits he retains an emotional connection to Arsenal but says this
will not prevent him giving his all against them for new club Chelsea.
Former Arsenal midfielder and captain Fabregas, 27, joined Chelsea this
summer from Barcelona in a £30million deal, after the Gunners decided
against taking up an option to bring him back to the Emirates.
Chelsea play Arsenal at Stamford Bridge in a game that is live on Sky Sports
on Sunday, October 5.
When asked by Spanish newspaper El Pais about the prospect of playing for
one of Arsenal’s rivals, Fabregas said: "Don't think I didn't think about
it.
“I will keep the Gunner feeling forever and I know that I will return to
Highbury (Emirates Stadium) and it will be a special moment, but I am a
committed guy.
"I remind you that I played the Champions League final against Barcelona
(with Arsenal) and I swear I would have done anything to win that game - and
I have been a Barcelona fan since I was a kid.
"So I know that when I play against Arsenal I will know who is my (current)
team, who are my colleagues and who I defend. And I know that the Arsenal
fans will understand me, I have no doubt."
Fabregas, who has impressed in his three appearances for Chelsea this
season, joined Arsenal from Barcelona and went on to make over 300
appearances before returning to his boyhood club in August 2011.
He won the Primera Division, a Copa del Ray and the FIFA Club World Cup
during his three-year spell back in Spain, before sealing a return to the
Premier League with Chelsea this summer.
"If you'd told me five years ago that I would play for Chelsea and Mourinho
I would not have believed you, but life changes.
"I started to think about leaving Barcelona after the Copa del Rey final. It
was when I started to think that it had finished, that there was a change or
that I didn't want to continue.
"I spoke with my agent and asked him to find me a new team, and an offer
from Chelsea arrived. For me it was coming back to London, where I grew up.
There was no better way out.
"I spoke with Mourinho and he told me the things I needed to hear. I felt
valued. I felt I was going to be important in an important project."
top