cesc with arsenal

Cesc not thinking about leaving Arsenal

Asked about a possible return to Barcelona (read more here), Arsenal midfielder and Spanish international Cesc Fàbregas has said in an interview with Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo that he's only focusing on Arsenal at this moment:

"I can only repeat that Arsenal is my team now since I have a contract until 2014. I'm the captain of Arsenal, I owe the gunners and I will never do something behind the back of the club. I won't talk or meet with anyone without them knowing about it. If a club wants me, they should first talk with Arsène Wenger and then we'll see what happens next.

Everyone should go after his own luck and I'm completely happy at Arsenal. If that wasn't the case, you can be sure that I would already have talked with my coach to ask him to let me go but at this moment that's not the case. We're still fighting for three trophies, let's see if we can win one.

It's nonetheless true that Barça is special for me. I cannot say anything else. I had six unforgettable years there, it's a club that has been my club since childhood, when one is only focused on one team. My family is deeply barcelonista and I share this feeling. Nobody can ignore that."

British tabloid News of the World meanwhile claims that Cesc could be on his way out as a consequence of a change in his attitude since he returned victorious from Spain's success in last summer's European Championships and of the player's wage demands.

An insider is quoted as saying: "Fabregas has changed since he came back from the European Championships. It's as if he thinks he's made it because Spain won. It was the same with Thierry Henry in his last season, but at least Henry had won everything and had a right to swagger around.

As far as most of the players are concerned there is a real arrogance to him now. Fabregas is almost a law unto himself. He walks around like he owns the place and that's put more than a few noses out of joint. A lot of the players think he'll be off in the summer to Barcelona, or maybe even Real Madrid, and that he's just swaggering around until he goes.

People are scared to confront Fabregas in case they upset him and he decides to walk in the summer. The problem is that he gets away with it. There were a lot of people at the club who were surprised when he was allowed to go back to Spain for several weeks to do his injury rehabilitation because it's normally a strict policy that rehab is overseen by Arsenal medical staff."

The situation of Cesc would be monitored closely in Barcelona. Sources close to the Barcelona are said to be convinced the midfielder has set his heart on rejoining the club. Barcelona would be briefing the Spanish media that Fabregas believes there is a witch hunt against him as part of a campaign to drive him away from Arsenal.