Firstly I would like to thank everyone at FC Barcelona where I enjoyed 3 wonderful years. It was my childhood club and I will always be proud and honoured that I had a chance to play for such a great team.

I do feel that I have unfinished business in the Premier League and now is the right time for me to return. Yes, everyone knows that Arsenal had the first option to sign me. They decided not to take this option and therefore it wasn't meant to be. I wish them well in the future.

I considered all the other offers very carefully and I firmly believe that Chelsea is the best choice. They match my footballing ambitions with their hunger and desire to win trophies. They have an amazing squad of players and an incredible manager. I am fully committed to this team and I can't wait to start playing.

It was extremely important to me that this transfer was completed before the World Cup so that my mind will only be focused on hopefully helping my country try to retain the trophy.

@tuan the statement was the same in Catalan, spanish and english. It doesn't prove anything, but it's not down to a translator not doing his job properly.

here's a statement from r/gunners that I think sums up pretty well how we arsenal fans feel right now :

"Cesc is a good player. None of us here have denied that. But to claim you LOVE a team and then sign for one of their rivals is utter bollocks. Would he have signed for Real Madrid? Would he fuck, because the only team Cesc loves is Barca, and that is what gets the fans ganders up, because we DO love our teams. Unconditionally, with our hearts and minds, some of us more than our significant others (I personally wouldn't go that far but I do know a guy who was given an "West Ham or me" ultimatum by his missus... and he even helped her pack. Real charmer that one). Add to the league rivalry the locational rivalry of the London clubs, and you have a real pressure cooker. Don't expect Fab to be liked... or even tolerated... by us Gooners, any more than Gallas was by the chavs, any more than Sol was by the Spuds. Once the Chavs start rubbing Cesc in our faces, the hate will start, and it will be vitriolitic. I'm almost looking forward to it. If Fab thought that the barca fans were bastards, wait until the gooners get a hold of him. He's going to have a torrid time the first time he wears chavski blue in front of an Emirates crowd, I gaurantee it.

And don't try and defend the Chavs when it starts. Their even mix of plastic fantastic and right wing racist nutters generates almost as much of the hate they get as that twat Mourinho and that thief Abramovic. They deserve it."

btw that is what football rivalry is like in London, for some people on the forum that don't know about it. And I'll respect a chelsea/spurs fan more if he's straight up an assh*le towards me for being an arsenal fan, than a guy that tries to be all nice but is condescending and disrespectful to my club in a dodgy way.

"how we arsenal fans", that's a huge assumption dont you think?

But Im sure to believe there are at least > 70% feel like that.

Ok, give us 1 club that would have been suitable if he hadn't signed for Chelsea (those that are interested, and have money, and have ambitious projects)?

@tuan we understand why he went there. We don't blame him or wenger, most of understand why he went to chelsea. We're upset because we all have very loved memories of fabregas. And now they're all ruined. And in the end like the guy said, we'll end up hating him even if we try not to because of how the chelsea fans will rub it in our face, it's bound to happen.

For example, I can't laugh at PizzaGate anymore, when fabregas threw a pizza at sir alex. That was one of my favorite stories ever, after yesterday is just makes me angry to think about it.

Completely understand now, well, this EPL season is gonna be awesome!!!!

I personally think rakitic would have been a better signing...

Mourinho knows that you need to give Fabregas a main role to make him shine at 100 per cent, im sure he will build arround him and will share responsability with Hazard and Oscar.

At Barça he couldnt play his position and needed a special kind of players in front of him we dont have at Barça or we have just one ( Pedro and maybe Alexis ).

Its a good move and the player will have the motivation to prove Barça wrong...

The best thing about all this transfer is seeing Piers Morgan pissed off LOL

Let's not let Torres teach about how to accommodate to the club.