Cesc Fabregas angered a lot of Arsenal fans when he returned to England with Chelsea after three seasons at Barcelona.Before then, the Spaniard spent eight years with the Gunners before parting ways before swapping north London for the Nou Camp in August 2011.The Emirates faithful were understandably disappointed to see the back of their captain, but, to some extent, they could appreciate his decision to accept a £35 million move back to his first club.Despite spending almost a decade at Arsenal, Fabregas multiplied his major honours list sixfold in his first campaign with the Catalan giants.The midfielder ended his second spell in Spain with an impressive haul of silverware: two Spanish Super Cups, a La Liga title, a Copa del Rey, a UEFA Super Cup and a FIFA Club World Cup.That said, Fabregas was far from one of the first names on the team sheet throughout his time under Pep Guardiola, Tito Vilanova and Gerardo Martino.With Andres Iniesta, Xavi and Sergio Busquets to contend with, this constant struggle to earn a regular starting role forced him to consider his options.Naturally, the door was always going to be left open at Arsenal, especially given what he said about playing for another English club back in 2011…
"If someday I leave Arsenal it will never be to sign for another English team. I'm very sure," Fabregas told Spanish magazine Don Balon, per the Telegraph.
Instead of returning ‘home’, so to speak, he forced through a transfer to Chelsea - and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out how his decision greeted.
Fabregas has since won two Premier League titles, an FA Cup and a League Cup at Stamford Bridge, but when asked if he would ever play for Arsenal again, his answer was always going to be of interest to the red section of London.
“Arsenal will always be in my heart and I will never forget them so why not return. You never know,” he told Marca.
“I feel fine still. In seven months my contract ends with Chelsea.
“It will be 16 seasons playing at the highest level, over 750 games, a lot of training, travelling…
“I feel young and strong but maybe I can’t do 60 games a season.
“With my style I think I can keep playing for longer and obviously I want to keep playing for many years.”
ARSENAL FANS' REACTION
Given how the 31-year-old has started the season under Maurizio Sarri, it’s not too far-fetched to imagine Fabregas playing in the top-flight for at least a couple more seasons.
But, how do Arsenal fans feel about bringing him back?
It’s safe to say there’s a very mixed response…
Do you think Fabregas would still be of value at Arsenal? Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment.