Arsène Wenger has called upon the Arsenal home crowd to remember the outstanding service that Cesc Fàbregas once gave to them and afford him a respectful reception when he returns to the Emirates Stadium for the first time with Chelsea on Sunday.
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The Arsenal manager, however, admitted Fàbregas’s departure for Barcelona in the summer of 2011 remained one of his big regrets, and he maintained the situation felt “uncomfortable” to him.
Fàbregas pushed through an acrimonious move to the Catalan club – after making his Arsenal debut at 16 and excelling for them over eight seasons – and the manner of the parting undoubtedly soured his legacy in the eyes of some members of staff at Arsenal.
There remains an element of mystery over why Wenger and Fàbregas were not reunited, which the Frenchman fuelled when he was asked whether it had been his decision to reject the chance to re-sign the player.We will have to discuss that one day,”
Wenger said. “With all the terms … it’s not as clean as that. I cannot speak to you about that now because that will not help us to win the game on Sunday.Wenger preferred to focus on Sunday, when he will attempt to beat the Chelsea manager, José Mourinho, for the first time – at the 13th attempt.