Arsene Wenger's brutal reason for making example of Cesc Fabregas to refuse Arsenal dream

Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger previously explained why he didn't allow Cesc Fabregas to return to the club.

Wenger confessed that he wanted to set an example with the former captain to prevent a bad trend at the club. Fabregas joined Arsenal from Barcelona's academy when he was just 16 and quickly became one of the team's star players.

After eight years and an FA Cup win in 2005, Fabregas moved back to Barcelona in 2011. Three years later, he wanted to come back to the Premier League and tried to rejoin Arsenal.

However, Wenger blocked his return. The legendary French manager explained his decision on The Ornstein and Chapman Podcast in 2020:

«It was a general guidance from me to have that, to make the players [realises] 'Look if you go out here, you don't come back'.», reports the Mirror.

He added that this rule was a way to keep players who might be tempted to leave for greener pastures. He made exceptions for Thierry Henry, Sol Campbell, and Jens Lehmann, but not for younger players who left.

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Fabregas has also talked about his failed attempt to return to Arsenal, confirming that it was Wenger who stopped him, leading to his move to Chelsea. In a 2020 chat on the Arsecast podcast, Fabregas revealed: «My agent Darren [Dein] spoke to Arsene. He didn't give him an answer to be honest, then we had to wait one full week to see if Arsenal responded.»

«Definitely this was my first option, in my mind I'm telling everyone I'm going to Arsenal, this is what I want. Not Arsene, [Ivan] Gazidis or anyone said anything for a week.

»I didn't want to