When Fabregas lifted his first Premier league title two years ago, no one would have felt more sick to his stomach than Arsene Wenger.
Cesc was Wenger’s boy, the kid who he made captain of Arsenal and who he imagined would stay at Arsenal for his entire career. And now here was Cesc, arm in arms with Wenger’s mortal enemy Jose Mourinho celebrating a Premier league title.
A decade ago, Cesc Fabregas was Arsenal’s golden boy as the little Spaniard was revered by everyone around the Emirates. Made the captain at the tender age of 21, Cesc was the man enthrust with the responsibility of leading Arsenal for the next generation.
Alas, it was not to be as Barcelona came calling and whisked Arsenal’s captain away. Wenger was thought to be bitterly disappointed about Cesc’s departure, something that some people feel still haunts him to this day.
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When Cesc was surprisingly willing to leave Barcelona three summers ago, everyone expected Arsenal to come back for him, including Fabregas himself.
Cesc was no doubt expecting a call back from his old manager, and could be forgiven for dreaming about a return to the Emirates.
But the call never came. Wenger had other players playing in Cesc’s position and deemed him an unnecessary addition. Fabregas did not get his dream return, and then chose the next best destination for his career.
Now, Fabreags reveals that he still holds a lot of love for Arsenal and their manager. When asked if he considers Arsenal “an old girlfriend”, this is what he said.
“I wouldn’t call it that. It’s much more than that, because sometimes an old girlfriend you lose connection with, you don’t feel anything for after years.
“I feel very attached, even now, to Arsenal. My feelings for the club, well I don’t have to repeat myself, every single time we play against them, because it’s known. ”
“Whoever doesn’t believe me, or doesn’t feel it is this way, is not right. I know how I feel, my family does, and that’s all that matters to me.”
“Once I made the decision to leave Barcelona, Arsenal had the first option, and Barcelona had the obligation to contact Arsenal first. Then they had a week to basically respond yes or no to the buy-out clause.”
“I knew Chelsea were on the side, among other clubs, but after I spoke to Mourinho in the meantime he convinced me that it was a great place to come.”
“The week passed, Arsenal never responded, never contacted me either, so I took it as them having enough players in their squad, so I made my move to Chelsea.”
“Because I felt they wanted me the most, Jose spoke to me in a way that not many have spoken to me before, and I knew what he wanted from me. He motivated me so much in that meeting that my choice was very easy.”
“I love Arsene, the man. I love him of course as a coach too. This is a decision he made. I always said that he’s like a father to me, and he will always be.”
