After nine glorious years at Arsenal and a three-year stint with Spanish giants Barcelona, Cesc Fabregas is back to the Premier League fold but this time with Chelsea.
The Spaniard, who joined Arsenal as a 16-year-old in 2003, scored 57 goals in 303 games for the Gunners and won the 2005 FA Cup as well with them before moving to Barcelona in 2011.
Fabregas's impressive performance at Barca saw him netting 35 goals in 129 appearances, which played an important role in the Spanish club winning the Copa del Rey in 2012 and the La Liga in 2013.
He returned to England this year in a five-year deal with Chelsea, after Arsenal decided against exercising their buy-back clause. And speaking to IBNLive Sports, the 27-year-old Fabregas shed more light on his move to Stamford Bridge, obsession for the No. 4 jersey and much more.
You have previously spent a long time in the EPL with Arsenal. How does it feel to be back in the PremierLeague?
That's another part of the decision. I think, the happier you are in life, the better your performance will be. I knew for sure Id be happy in London because I love it and for me it is the best city in the world. But most of the decision was simply down to football reasons.
Your deal took a long time.
It was very important the deal was done before the World Cup because I wanted my head to be free. Then, after my holiday, I was getting really excited to start playing and training in pre-season. Everyone has really welcomed me. I'm feeling great within the team and really happy.
Why did you make the move to Chelsea at this point of your career?
I thought I'm at the right age. I wanted a change and I looked at all the offers I had and, in the end - after speaking to the coach - this was the best decision.
You said Chelsea matched your ambitions. What exactly are your ambitions?
My ambitions are to win absolutely everything: the more you win, the more you want to win, although last season Chelsea were not able to lift any trophies, so this season we have to perform well.
You've played against teams managed by Jose Mourinho during your time with Arsenal and Barcelona, and now you are playing under him. How was your experience against the sides managed by him?
They [sides managed by Mourinho] are always difficult to beat and to play against. Tactically they are very composed. They have discipline and he gets the best out of his players. That's what we want to do this season as well.
You have played in different positions. How has that played a part in your development?
It's true that I have been playing in different positions, and I learned a lot from this as well. It made me a more complete footballer. However, I know my place is in the midfield; I want to play there and I think the coach knows that. This is where I think I can give my best. It doesn't matter if I'm just in front of the defence or playing behind the strikers; those are two positions I really enjoy.
This Chelsea team is pretty different to the one you last played against in 2012. How do you see this side?
They are renewing the squad. Some of the players who have been here for a long time have been changed for newer and younger players. I really think the balance of the squad is good, in particular the balance between the younger and older players.
Which Chelsea players have you most enjoyed watching?
The one who cost us more defeats for Arsenal and for Barcelona was Didier Drogba. At Arsenal, we always felt we were in control of the situation and then Didier always scored against us. He really punished us in most of the games.
Which act gives you more pleasure: scoring a goal or playing a defence-splitting pass to assist a team-mate?
That's a difficult question; I think both of them are really important. When I was younger, I always said that assisting was my best asset and the one that I enjoyed the most. I'm happy I'm very consistent in my numbers season after season, but now that I score more goals and have become more of a goalscorer, I really enjoy that too. I feel to have a good balance between knowing when to assist and when to go forward to score goals is important. I think I'm finding it now.
After 13 years at Chelsea, Frank Lampard left the club. How do you feel about replacing him in midfield?
Time will tell - I have only just started my career here, but I don't consider myself to be a replacement for anyone. As much as you want to, you cannot compare the two players. Maybe I don't score as much as Frank, but I like to assist more. For me, we are different players and cannot be compared.
You've taken the No. 4 shirt, just as you did at Arsenal and Barcelona. What is the significance of this number?
It's the number I've been wearing since I was eight years old, when I started my career with Barcelona. Then, when Patrick [Vieira] left Arsenal, I chose this number. At Barcelona it was free. Here, when David Luiz signed for Paris Saint-Germain, it became free again. It's always a number that has been available. I just like it and it feels comfortable.
You have joined a few of your international team-mates at Stamford Bridge. Tell us a bit about Diego Costa.
Diego has been progressing a lot in the last two years, especially the last year. He was immense, a real threat in every game. He was playing every three days but he was consistently really strong. He goes behind the defence, making the kind of run players like me are really happy with because it gives you an option to play the killer ball. He will do superbly here.
You're good friends with Fernando Torres too.
I started playing with Fernando when I was 18, when I debuted for the Spanish national team. That was nine years ago and, since then, we have won two European Championships and a World Cup. I really like playing with him because he's strong, goes behind defences, has superb movement off the ball and he's a real goalscorer.
I'm sure we'll have a good partnership. It's good to have a friend like him. He knows the club very well and when we were on holiday, he told me all about it. He made me aware of all the good things here.
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