Fabregas - I didn't think Arsenal wanted me!

Fabregas - I didn't think Arsenal wanted me!

By Richard Clarke

Cesc Fabregas has revealed that, initially, he was not sure Arsène Wenger wanted to sign him as a 16-year-old from Barcelona – even though the manager had sent scouts to watch him 44 times.

The Spaniard has been in North London since 2003 and is now firmly established at Emirates Stadium having taken over the captaincy just before Christmas last season.However when Wenger was interested in bringing him to North London he mistook the Frenchman’s thoroughness for indecision.

But, in the end, it was Wenger’s eagerness that sealed the deal.“The Spanish scout told me after Arsenal signed me that they had come to see me 44 times," he said at a Members' Day forum last week. "I thought '44 times? They aren’t very sure about me!'”

“But when I came here to talk with the boss, he was the one that really came to talk to me. He cut his holiday short to come and see me as a 16-year-old. For me, that was a big honour.”