Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has begged Gunners fans not to boo former star Cesc Fabregas when he returns to the Emirates with Chelsea this weekend, The Sun reports.
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Fabregas left the north London giants to join Barcelona four-years ago in a massive £40million deal, but angered Arsenal fans when he joined the Stamford Bridge outfit last summer.
And despite the Gunners being awarded a £5million bonus payment from the Catalonians as part of the deal, the Spanish international will be bracing himself for a less than warm welcome on Sunday.
And Wenger has urged fans not to boo their former hero, insisting instead that he deserves their respect for what he helped the club achieve whist he was there.
“I want every player to be respected by our supporters and Cesc deserves to be respected on Sunday,” Wenger said.
“I don’t know if he regrets leaving us. That is a question that you should ask to him.
“The regret that I have is that he wanted to leave us four years ago.
“This club and myself had a very positive influence on Cesc’s life so I would be a bit uncomfortable to have to justify today why he is not here. I would rather it was the other way around.”
The 27-year-old spent eight years with the Gunners, making 303 appearances in the process. He became the captain of the club for his last three seasons when he took over the armband from defender William Gallas.
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