Cesc Fabregas was the star man as Chelsea flexed their muscles in Premier League title race... so, was Arsene Wenger wrong to say no to £25m Arsenal return?

Wenger always believed that any move back to the Premier League would come this summer 

Arsenal had a first-option clause of £25m to bring Fabregas back to The Emirates

Wenger bought Real Madrid midfielder Mesut Ozil for £42.5m

Ozil's presence meant that a return for Fabregas was no longer viable

Fabregas signed for Jose Mourinho's Chelsea in a £30m switch from Barcelona

Fabregas was in impressive form during Chelsea's 3-1 win over Burnley at Turf Moor on Monday night 

The smoke signals that Cesc Fabregas was ready for a return to the Premier League first emerged last summer, when Manchester United made a public play for the Spanish midfielder.

All was not well at Barcelona and the then English champions offered an appetising proposal. Fabregas said as much to friends in London. David Moyes spoke positively in knowledge of Ed Woodward’s pursuits.

But plates shift and Tata Martino’s arrival at the Nou Camp, coupled with the offer of increased football in his favoured role, provided Fabregas with a reason to stay at least another 12 months. The potential was there however. 

Arsene Wenger always maintained he believed any move back to Britain would come this summer and it appeared he was speaking securely ahead of Arsenal triggering their £25million first-option.

But then Wenger smashed open the piggy bank that had been preserved to meet the cost of the Emirates Stadium and bought Mesut Ozil for £42.5m.

During the World Cup in Brazil, Fabregas revealed it was the German’s presence that meant an emotional return to Arsenal was no longer viable.

‘We talked with Wenger but he said that he would find it difficult to make a place for me on the pitch as Ozil had my position covered,' Fabregas said.

At 27-years-old, entering his peak, remaining in Catalonia was no longer possible either, though. Signed in 2011 as an eventual replacement for the legendary Xavi, the plan never ran its course because Xavi kept on playing. Fabregas would instead feature out wide, up front, and in the No 10 position; effectively anywhere but the deeper he cultivated at Arsenal.

He would burst forward and affect matches with dynamism for Wenger, but Barcelona’s style, built on stranglehold possession and meticulous build-up, rarely afforded the kind of counter-attacking opportunity that Fabregas would gleefully seize.

As such, Barca never saw him at his best, fans would wonder his worth, and big matches came and went without his involvement.

‘If you play one game, the next, and the next but then comes the big game away to Bayern Munich and we are losing 4-0 and you are not even warming up then it gets you down,’ he told Sportsmail at the start of last season when asked about the disappointment of missing out on Barca’s 2012-13 Champions League run. 

It’s all about continuity. It’s more mental than anything else. Everyone knows Xavi and Iniesta are very good. I know what I can do, but sometimes you think, “Come on, give me a chance boss”.’

Fabregas would add: ‘In England, you always have that extra bit of freedom as a player. You know that, if you misplace a pass, the fans are going to support you. And, in my case, it was a bit different because the supporters saw in me someone who had been at the club as a kid, left and then returned for a big fee.’

In that light the £30m transfer to Chelsea smacks as obvious. Jose Mourinho’s football philosophy will provide Fabregas with a platform to play his way, while the club’s fans will enjoy each assist or goal that little bit more given it will hurt those in north London who used to sing his name.

‘There were some very good options and I chose between the best two or three,' said Fabregas. ‘I spoke with Jose Mourinho and he said what I wanted to hear and things went very quickly from there.’ 

For Chelsea, securing a creative midfielder with the passing vision and range of Fabregas this summer was just as vital as getting a striker of genuine class. For all the talents of Eden Hazard, Oscar and Andre Schurrle, Fabregas offers a different element; a midfield foundation of presence and poise – a catalyst to change defence into attack. He is also well versed in the physicality and pace of the Premier League.

That much was evidenced at Turf Moor, as Fabregas returned to the Premier League after a three-year absence as if he had never been away.

The pass for Schurrle’s goal took the breath away, the clearest illustration of what he had been unable to do consistently at Barcelona. But it was his stature and composure across the pitch that will have pleased Mourinho most.

After fulltime the Portuguese took a swipe at how many positions Fabregas had been forced to fill at the Nou Camp. Here, we will treasure you, was the message.

It was an unnerving start that may make Wenger nervous. He must trust that Ozil, a World Cup winner in his second season in England, can prove his value yet.