The Gunners manager has always admired the Spanish midfielder
Fabregas left four years ago to join his boyhood club Barcelona and his current side Chelsea face Arsenal on Sunday.
The North London outfit inserted a buy-back clause into the deal which saw Fabregas leave in a reported £30million to Barcelona but the move never came off.
When asked about the midfielder’s decision to leave the club Wenger said: “The regret I have is that he wanted to leave here,”
During his nine years at Arsenal, the midfielder made more than 300 appearances and lifted the F.A. Cup during that time, in 2005.
Fabregas behind Chelsea’s ascendancy
Chelsea’ rise to the top of the Premier League has revolved largely around the former Barcelona man, with Fabregas notching up 16 assists and scoring three goals.
There is no guarantee what sort of reaction the former crowd favourite will receive but the Arsenal manager hopes the fans won’t be hostile.
Arsene Wenger said: “I want every player to be respected and [I want] Cesc Fabregas, when he comes to the Emirates on Sunday, to be respected like he deserves.”
The former Arsenal man was affectionately called “Captain Fantastic” and was the main man for the Gunners when he was captain from 2008-11.
Even before he was crucial to Arsenal’s starting XI following the departure of Patrick Viera, who will also forever be a special players in the fan’s eyes.
Should the Gunners pull off an upset and deny Jose Mourinho’s side victory there could still be a contender to Chelsea’s claim for the Premier League title.
