Fabregas: Wenger is like a father

CAIRO - 17 September 2017: Chelsea’s Spanish midfielder, Cesc Fabregas still looks to Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger, as a father despite playing for Arsenal’s local rivals, Chelsea.

“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 is like a father to me, and he will always be," Fabregas told the press before Chelsea’s clash against Arsenal on Sunday afternoon at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge.

Fabregas, 30, left Spain when he was 16 to play for Arsenal under Wenger’s command, and then he left Arsenal in 2011 to join Barcelona where he stayed three years before deciding to return to London but through the blue side of the city, Chelsea.

Fabregas explained why he did not join Arsenal again after leaving Barcelona; “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.”

He added, “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.”