Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas recently revealed former side Arsenal could have brought him back to the club when he left Barcelona in 2014.

The Spanish international exited the Camp Nou three years ago and was linked with a return to the Gunners. Arsenal had first refusal on Fabregas, which basically meant Barcelona were obligated to offer Fabregas to the London outfit before offering him to anyone else.

This has now been confirmed by the player himself, who explained to Sky Sports how he ended up at Chelsea despite loving Arsenal.

“Once I made the decision to leave Barcelona, Arsenal had the first option, and Barcelona had the obligation to contact Arsenal first. Then they had a week to basically respond yes or no to the buy-out clause,” he said.

“I knew Chelsea were on the side, among other clubs, but after I spoke to [Jose] Mourinho in the meantime he convinced me that it was a great place to come. The week passed, Arsenal never responded, never contacted me either, so I took it as them having enough players in their squad, so I made my move to Chelsea.”

Many fans were disappointed that Fabregas didn’t return to Arsenal and that the club allowed such a talented player to join a rival side. However, logic won out over sentimentality. At that time, Mesut Ozil had just completed his first season at the club, while Aaron Ramsey was coming off his best season yet for the club, in my opinion.

Fabregas did go on to win titles at Chelsea, but it was clear that there was no room in the squad for him at the time. Even now, I feel it’s difficult to see where the 30-year-old would fit in the team.

He started for Chelsea in Sunday’s 0-0 draw, and while he occasionally threatened with passes over the top, I felt he came out second best in the battle with Aaron Ramsey and Granit Xhaka.