by Nia Griffiths

Former Arsenal midfielder, Cesc Fabregas, has spoken about his love for his ex-club and how nothing will change that.

Ahead of our match against Chelsea in the Community Shield, the 28-year-old revealed that no matter what happens, the memories and affection he feels towards Arsenal will always remain.

Whatever it is, it is,” he said. “The love I have for that club will never change whatever happens and what is the most important is what I have with me are the memories. The rest doesn’t matter. I have great memories, love and respect for the club. You will never hear anything bad from me about them.”

Arsenal fans have a bit of a strange relationship with Fabregas, especially since he joined Chelsea from Barcelona, who we sold him to in 2011. Many disagree with the way the move to the La Liga team was handled, while some flat-out disagree with him moving to Chelsea.

I’m stuck in this limbo where I hate the fact he’s at our rivals but simultaneously understand that he didn’t really have a choice. Barcelona didn’t want him, we didn’t need him, and Chelsea did. It’s tough to see but I don’t believe it warrants boos.

Ahead of the match on Sunday, the Spaniard said, “Of course, it is not the most important game but we want to win and compete. It is a big game, a London derby at Wembley in front of all the fans – it’s a nice competition to play in. Even if it is a pre-season game you still want to win.”

He added, “We are not worried that they might be fresher than us – they started 10 days before us – but we are competitors, we will want to win and it will probably be a great game.”

Fabregas played in 299 matches during his eight years at Arsenal, scoring 56 goals and assisting a staggering 91.