Exclusive – Arsenal turned down chance to sign Man City defender this summer

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger turned down the chance to sign Micah Richards during the summer transfer window, talkSPORT understands.

Wenger was on the search for defensive steel after selling centre-back and Gunners captain Thomas Vermaelen to Barcelona for £15million in August.

The Frenchman was alerted to Richards’ availability, with the 26-year-old finding first-team opportunities limited at the Etihad Stadium under manager Manuel Pellegrini.

But Wenger instead opted to sign Southampton teenager Calum Chambers in a £16million deal, with Richards eventually joining Italian side Fiorentina on loan for the season on deadline day.

Richards previously revealed to talkSPORT that he was offered more money to stay with Premier League champions City, but decided to revive his career in Florence with the prospect of playing regular Europa League and Serie A football.

Fabregas: Arsenal will always be close to my heart, but I’m committed to Chelsea now

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."

Welbeck hails new-look England after Switzerland win

England goal hero Danny Welbeck has heaped praise onto his team-mates after a 2-0 triumph over Switzerland.

Roy Hodgson’s side who came under fire after a turgid friendly win over Norway produced a promising display in Basle.

And Welbeck, who scored both goals on the night in the Euro 2016 qualifier, believes they could have won by more had they been slightly more clinical.

He told ITV: "I think we created a number of chances which maybe we could have done better with the final pass.

“Once we got the first goal I think we were in control and played a good team game today and you could see the work ethic - everyone is playing for each other and that's very important.”