Wenger Speaks Up On Cesc Fabregas Snub

Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger, has revealed through BeIN Sports that he didn’t regret but rather he did the right thing not taking former captain Cesc Fabregas back, when the Spaniard was released from Barcelona this summer. Wenger said: ‘‘I don’t regret not taking Cesc because we already had a lot of creative players in our midfield.’’ This is coming on the background of criticisms thrown at the Arsenal manager, for refusing to re-sign Fabregas when he had the opportunity to do so this summer.

Wenger always believed that any move back for Fabregas to the Premier League would come this summer, maybe through vibes from the cordial relationship they reportedly have. Meanwhile, Arsenal had a first option clause of £25m to bring Fabregas back to the Emirates and this presented itself when he grew frustrated at his lack of adequate playing time and Barcelona’s style of play that did not allow him time as Xavi was always available to play where Fabregas prefers and shines in. However, last summer, Wenger bought Real Madrid’s midfielder Mesut Ozil for £42.5m and this summer refused to activate the first-option clause, when Barcelona agreed to Fabregas’ departure and made it known that the 27-year-old is not in their plans anymore , as Ozil’s presence meant that a return for Fabregas was no longer viable.

Fabregas, who signed for Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea in a £30m switch from Barcelona, played a floating pass to Diego Costa for Chelsea’s second goal against Arsenal in the 2-0 victory Chelsea claimed over the Gunners, for the English Premier League clash at Stamford Bridge recently. This didn’t go down well with Arsenal fans and many have raised the obvious question which Arsene Wenger has answered to. According to Wenger, the quality in the Arsenal midfield didn’t require any bolstering and so he rejected the Fabregas offer. This Fabregas issue has somewhat divide the Arsenal fans. While many believe that Wenger was very wrong for not taking Fabregas back, many others are of the opinion that Cesc Fabregas himself chose Chelsea and influenced the deal somehow. Cesc Fabregas recently said: ‘‘I’ve always played in clubs where I wanted to play. At the end of last season, I saw Chelsea as the best option. I always thought about a return to England, and I talked to Jose Mourinho and realised this was the best option.’’

This Fabregas claim has a different tone from the earlier one that made Wenger and Arsenal look like the villains for not taking him back into Arsenal, a club he is passionate about and would’ve loved to join instead of Chelsea. Cesc Fabregas recently told The Sun that he would have liked to keep a relationship with Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger but the Frenchman doesn’t seem to be so disposed. He said: ‘‘Arsene Wenger hasn’t spoken to me since I came back and it was the kind of relationship that I always would have liked to keep.’’  While Arsenal fans would be licking their wounds for not having Fabregas in their squad, it would be now left to the Arsenal midfield of injured Mesut Ozil, Santi Cazorla, Tomas Rosicky, Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and others to show their qualities and prove Arsene Wenger right on this because already, for Chelsea, Cesc Fabregas has so far proved his worth.