Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas has been discussing his situation prior to his move to Stamford Bridge, with Arsenal not taking up the chance of a reunion.
The 30-year-old left the Gunners to re-join Barcelona in 2011, but after three years at the Nou Camp, he was ready to move on and seek a new challenge.
Despite firmly establishing himself as a key figure and a popular player with supporters after making over 300 appearances for the club, Fabregas has revealed that Arsenal and Arsene Wenger didn’t take up an option to bring him back to the Emirates in 2014.
“Once I made the decision to leave Barcelona, Arsenal had the first option, and Barcelona had the obligation to contact Arsenal first,” he told Sky Sports. “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 [Jose] 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.”
Fabregas went on to insist that he still feels a connection with the club that helped him develop into a world-class player, despite the reaction that he gets from some sections of the supporters when he faces his former club.
In turn, opinion will be split amongst the Arsenal fanbase on this one. Some will likely rue the fact that the north London giants didn’t act and re-sign him while others will argue that he wasn’t needed at the time and a reunion wasn’t the best idea for either party. Having made such a positive impact at Chelsea, it seems like a costly mistake to us…