Captain material: Mourinho has been delighted with Cesc Fabregas’ form and attitude (Picture: Getty)

Jose Mourinho has added insult to injury for Arsenal fans after hinting that their former captain Cesc Fabregas could wear the armband for rivals Chelsea.

The Spaniard has been in magnificent form for the Blues since his summer arrival from Barcelona, propelling them to the top of the Premier League and him to the forefront of Mourinho’s thinking when it comes to picking John Terry’s heir.

The Portuguese manager has been equally impressed with the 27-year-old’s attitude, and said in an interview with ITV that he gets why the midfielder was made Arsenal captain at a young age.



‘He [Fabregas] is a better guy than I thought’, he said.


‘He’s a fantastic guy, he’s a fantastic professional.

‘Now I understand why at the age of 19 or 20 or 21 he was Arsenal captain.’

Passing the baton: Fabregas could take over from John Terry as Chelsea captain (Picture: Getty)

Terry played his 500th game as Chelsea captain in their 2-1 win at Crystal Palace, but the 33-year-old will have to relinquish the armband in the not too distant future, and Mourinho hinted – albeit in typically cryptic fashion – that Fabregas could be the centre-back’s successor.

‘When I am the manager at Chelsea the armband will go to another arm that has been in this club for many many years,’ he said.

‘But one thing is [the leader’s] brain needs to be connected with the manager, and his brain is connected to mine during matches.’

The Spanish international did no harm to his chances in Chelsea’s Champions League clash with SK Maribor by notching his ninth assist in all competitions as the Blues triumphed 6-0.

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