Fabregas left it to the club to decide his future

All summer we've waited for an official statement from the captain, re-affirming that he wants to stay at Arsenal and that he has no interest in joining Barcelona.

But saying that would be a lie, because from all indications, there was interest in joining the Catalan club from our captain, why wouldn't there be? It is an attractive proposition, but Fabregas did the right thing in letting manager Arsène Wenger and the board deal with any formal bids from Barcelona.

Both bids, of which, were rejected. Whether Arsenal had a price in their head is irrelevant, the initial €30 million was deemed not good enough, and so was the subsequent improved offer from the Catalan giants.

Barcelona were never going to be able to afford the astronomical fee that the club had in their heads, with their own financial problems well documented, and Fabregas is still an Arsenal player, and our captain.

Our number essentially said to Wenger behind closed doors that his future was up to Arsenal to decide. If an offer was accepted, then fine, he would leave to return home, but if none of the offers from Barcelona were good enough, then he would still be an Arsenal player.

The official statement reads:

"Firstly I would like to apologise to all the Arsenal fans for not speaking sooner about my future but I have not known what I was going to do until this moment.

"I cannot deny that joining a club like Barcelona was not an attractive move for me. This was the club where I learnt my football, it is my home town where my friends and family are and a club where I have always dreamed of playing. There are not many players in this world who would not want to play for Barcelona.

"I have had many conversations with Arsène Wenger both in person and over the phone over the last few months and although the content of those conversations will remain private, the conclusion is that Barcelona have had two formal offers rejected by Arsenal.

"I am a professional and I fully understand that it is Arsenal's prerogative not to sell me.

"I owe a lot to the Club, manager and the fans and I will respect their decision and will now concentrate on the new season ahead with Arsenal.

"I can assure all the fans that now the negotiations have ended I will be 100 percent focused on playing for Arsenal.

"I am an Arsenal player and as soon as I step out on to the pitch, that is the only club I will be thinking about.

"I am looking forward to the start of the season and putting this speculation behind me."

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