LONDON, England, September 9-Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas says that he will always feel a connection to former club Arsenal, but that he is committed to the Blues.
The Spaniard joined the west London outfit in the recent transfer market, ending a three-year spell at Barcelona. Prior to his time in Spain, Fabregas had spent eight years at Arsenal, racking up more than 300 appearances for the club.
The Gunners had first option to buy the playmaker back from Barcelona, but decided against it, with Fabregas heading to Chelsea for £30m instead.
Chelsea will welcome Arsenal to Stamford Bridge on October 5, and while Fabregas admits that Arsenal remain special to him, he says that it will not impact his commitment to his new club.
“Don’t think I didn’t think about it,” he told El Pais.
“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.”
The 27-year-old concedes that he never thought he would find himself at Chelsea, but that Jose Mourinho made him feel like the move was the best thing for him.
“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,” explained the Spain international.
“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.”