Arsenal did not need me as they had Ozil, Chelsea-bound Fabregas says

Spain midfielder reveals Mourinho 'said what I wanted to hear'

Spain midfielder Cesc Fabregas attends a news conference on June 15, 2014, at CT do Caju in Curitiba during the 2014 Fifa World Cup in Brazil. Lluis Gene / AFP

Spain midfielder Cesc Fabregas said he spoke with Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger before joining Chelsea but was told his position was already covered by Mesut Ozil.

Arsenal had first option on their former player when he decided to leave Barcelona at the end of last season, but he moved to Chelsea in a deal reportedly worth €33 million (Dh164.1m), with a further €3m linked to performances.

“We talked with Wenger, but he said that he would find it difficult to make a place for me on the pitch as Ozil had my position covered,” Fabregas, 27, said at Spain’s World Cup base in Curitiba.

“There were some very good options and I chose between the best two or three.”

He said he spoke with Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho “and he said what I wanted to hear. He won me over and convinced me. It all happened very quickly from that point. This is not the right moment to talk about this, though, as we need to be focused on the national team and the World Cup.”

Fabregas leaves Barcelona after three seasons with his boyhood club, where he was never fully embraced. “My era at Barcelona is over and there is nothing more to say,” he said.

Fabregas was a second-half substitute for Spain as they crashed to a 5-1 defeat against the Netherlands in their opening game in World Cup Group B.

He said that he and his teammates were seeking inspiration from the World Cup four years ago in South Africa, when Spain defeated Chile in the group stage after having lost their opener 1-0 against Switzerland.

“We need to think about what we have achieved over the past six years,” Fabregas said, referring to Spain’s European Championship triumphs in 2008 and 2012.

“You can’t live in the past, but there are positive things that can be taken from four years ago when we also played Chile and we won 2-1.

“It was a different situation as we didn’t need as many goals and Chile were also qualified so they didn’t need to fight, but there are similarities.”

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