Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas revealed how Jose Mourinho puting the Spaniard’s transfer ahead of his son’s match convinced him to join.
The former Arsenal captain wasn’t convinced about joining London rivals Chelsea when Barcelona agreed to sell him.
But any doubts over the move were gone when Mourinho visisted Catalonia, even though he had family commitments back in England.
Fabregas spoke about the deal saying: “When I knew Chelsea wanted to buy me, I studied the situation well and talked things over with my family.
“But then I spoke to the boss, on the day Jose came to see me.
“I remember it was a Sunday afternoon, and he flew out, missing his son’s final game of the season.
“For him to do that was to make a great effort, to tell me how much he wanted me to sign for Chelsea. That gave me a real lift.”
Chelse announced the £27m move at the start of the World Cup, and along with fellow new signings Diego Costa and Filipe Luis, have now met up with the rest of the squad for pre-season traning in Austria.
Fabregas is aware he will receive backlash from the Arsenal faithful even though Arsene Wenger passed up the first opportunity to re-sign the Barca man and he added: “When Jose came to see me, he made me believe that he wanted me in a very good way.
“When we spoke together, I became sure it was the best option for me.
“Now I want to win absolutely everything.
“I know Jose’s teams are always very difficult to bear and to play against. Tactically they are very well-composed and they have discipline. He gets the best out of his players.”
By Phil Wellbrook
