Cesc Fabregas: Arsene Wenger says midfielder deserves respect
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas should get “the respect he deserves” on his return to Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
The Premier League game will be the Spaniard’s second against the club he played for between 2003 and 2011 since signing for Chelsea last June.
Fabregas, 27, joined Arsenal when he was 16 but left to return to his boyhood club Barcelona in 2011.
Wenger has previously said he does not regret not re-signing the midfielder.
Before hosting the Premier League leaders on Sunday (16:00 BST), the Frenchman maintained that position.
“The regret I have is that he wanted to leave here,” said Wenger, who turned down a buy-back option for Fabregas last summer.
“This club and myself had a very positive influence on Cesc’s life, so I would be a bit uncomfortable to have to justify today why he is not here.
“I believe I would rather it was the other way around.”
Source: BBC edited by Evan Marara
