Chelsea vs. Arsenal: Arsene Wenger Makes Cesc Fabregas Claim in Pre-Game Presser

Arsene Wenger has confirmed Cesc Fabregas wanted to rejoin Arsenal before he settled on a move to Chelsea.

The Gunners boss spoke honestly about his former player during the pre-match press conference ahead of his side's trip to Stamford Bridge.

When asked if Fabregas had wanted to return to the Emirates, Wenger replied, "Certainly, yes," per James Riach of The Guardian. "I don't want to make a big story of that because you have to accept that. I personally believe that deal was done a long time ago, early 2014, and all the other speculation is just made up."

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Jose Mourinho had previously stated Fabregas "was not open" to returning to Arsenal and that "he was very, very much in our direction," as reported by talkSPORT. Fabregas admitted speaking to Wenger when he became available, but he was told it would be "hard to find a place" for him with Mesut Ozil in the team, per Alex Richards of the Mirror.

Chelsea have certainly found a place for the World Cup winner, who has produced six assists in as many games this Premier League season, per WhoScored.com. Arsenal have only seven between the entire squad, with Ozil setting up just one goal this campaign.

The upcoming fixture will be the first time Fabregas has faced his former side in Chelsea blue. Wenger made it clear he still enjoys a special relationship with his ex-captain and that he hopes Arsenal fans treat the Spaniard with respect.

Arsenal's official Twitter account reported Wenger's comments:

Henry Winter of The Telegraph tweeted further quotes from the Frenchman:

Wenger was also keen to stress he didn't need Fabregas when he became available over the summer, per the club's feed:

Chelsea whooped their London rivals 6-0 in last year's corresponding fixture, which happened to be Wenger's 1000th game in charge. This encounter became notorious for a case of mistaken identity when Kieran Gibbs was red-carded after Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain cleared a ball off the line with his hand. 

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Wenger remembered just how difficult the occasion was, per Winter:

The Arsenal boss also acknowledged what went wrong on the pitch and suggested his team will be primed for revenge during the upcoming visit to Stamford Bridge. Arsenal's feed reported the quotes:

Wenger took time to discuss two potential match-winners, as Danny Welbeck and Diego Costa look set to have a major influence on the game. Welbeck netted a composed hat-trick during the 4-1 Champions League win over Galatasaray on Wednesday, but the Gunners boss feels there's more to come, per Arsenal's feed:

Winter also tweeted Wenger's appraisal of Costa, who has scored eight goals already this season, per Winter:

Arsenal head into the match six points behind Chelsea. Both sides are unbeaten, but Mourinho's men have six wins to Arsenal's two.

Goalscoring efficiency certainly separates the teams right now. Despite both teams letting in seven, the Blues have scored 19 to their visitors' 11. Remove Costa from the equation, and they would be level.

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This notion could define Sunday's result. Arsenal simply can't afford to go any further behind Chelsea and should be extremely pleased if they can avoid defeat. Wenger's team have rarely looked like genuine title contenders this season and need to lay down a marker that truly states their intent for the campaign.

Should Welbeck be the man to do it, expect those premature Thierry Henry comparisons to gain some momentum.