Cesc Fabregas insists he is fully committed to Chelsea following his summer switch to Stamford Bridge, but maintains he will always hold Arsenal close to his heart.
The former Gunners captain says he feels comfortable working under Blues boss Jose Mourinho, after Arsenal decided against taking up an option to bring the playmaker back from Barcelona to the Emirates Stadium.
Fabregas, 27, joined the Gunners from his boy-hood club as a raw teenager and developed into one of the most dynamic midfielders in the game, before returning to the Nou Camp in August 2011.
He won the La Liga title, a Copa del Ray and the FIFA Club World Cup during his three-year spell back in Spain, before returning to the Premier League early in the transfer window in a £28million deal.
And in an interview with Spanish newspaper El Pais, Fabregas explained that he will always cherish his rise to fame at Arsenal and that whatever he may achieve at Chelsea will not diminish his feelings for his former club.
The Spain international said: "Don't think I didn't think about it [playing for Arsenal's rivals when he decided to join Chelsea]. I will keep the Gunner feeling forever and I know that I will return to the Amirates and it will be a special moment, but I am a committed guy.
"I remind you that I played the Champions League final against Barcelona [with Arsenal] and I swear I would have done anything to win that game - and I have been a Barcelona fan since I was a kid.
"So I know that when I play against Arsenal I will know who is my team, who are my colleagues and who I defend. And I know that the Arsenal fans will understand me, I have no doubt."
Fabregas also admitted he needed little convincing to join his former club’s London rivals.
He added: "If you'd told me five years ago that I would play for Chelsea and Mourinho I would not have believed you, but life changes.
"I started to think about leaving Barcelona after the Copa del Rey final. It was when I started to think that it had finished, that there was a change or that I didn't want to continue.
"I spoke with my agent and asked him to find me a new team, and an offer from Chelsea arrived. For me it was coming back to London, where I grew up. There was no better way out.
"I spoke with Mourinho and he told me the things I needed to hear. I felt valued. I felt I was going to be important in an important project."
