Cesc: Wenger is like a father to me

Cesc Fabregas has stated his love for Barcelona, but admits it would be difficult to leave his new family at Arsenal.

The midfielder has been courted by the Spanish giants all summer, and Fabregas says it would be hard to turn down a return to his former employers.

The 23-year-old left Barca for Arsenal when he was 16, and his time in North London has seen him develop into one of the world's best players, something he says he will be eternally grateful for.

He said: "I'm a Barca fan, I'm a club member, as is my grandfather, my uncle, my cousin...I have had the colours in my blood from a young age, I'm Catalan.

"However, I'm the captain of Arsenal, I'm a 'Gunner'. And I have become a player there and matured as a person."

Fabregas credited his manager Arsène Wenger as one of the most important people in his life.

He said: "[Wenger] is a second father to me, the most important person in my life after my father. He has behaved really well with me and taken me in like a son. I am part of his family.

"He doesn't want me to leave. And in my last conversation with him in London, it was one of the most difficult moments I have experienced. I ended up very upset."

Wenger hopes his captain stays, as he is confident his team can build on their third place finish of last season.

The manager said: "I am very confident we'll do better than last season.

"We invest in our work, in our beliefs, in the quality of our behaviour and I am confident that will pay off. We finished third last year and we hope we can improve on that - but the race will be tough."

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