Cesc Fabregas: Former Arsenal midfielder joined Chelsea this summer from Barcelona for £30m

Cesc Fabregas admits he retains an emotional connection to Arsenal but says this will not prevent him giving his all against them for new club Chelsea.

Former Arsenal midfielder and captain Fabregas, 27, joined Chelsea this summer from Barcelona in a £30million deal, after the Gunners decided against taking up an option to bring him back to the Emirates.

Chelsea play Arsenal at Stamford Bridge in a game that is live on Sky Sports on Sunday, October 5.

When asked by Spanish newspaper El Pais about the prospect of playing for one of Arsenal’s rivals, Fabregas said: "Don't think I didn't think about it.

“I will keep the Gunner feeling forever and I know that I will return to Highbury (Emirates Stadium) and it will be a special moment, but I am a committed guy.

So I know that when I play against Arsenal I will know who is my (current) team, who are my colleagues and who I defend. And I know that the Arsenal fans will understand me, I have no doubt. Cesc Fabregas

"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 (current) team, who are my colleagues and who I defend. And I know that the Arsenal fans will understand me, I have no doubt."

Fabregas, who has impressed in his three appearances for Chelsea this season, joined Arsenal from Barcelona and went on to make over 300 appearances before returning to his boyhood club in August 2011.

He won the Primera Division, a Copa del Ray and the FIFA Club World Cup during his three-year spell back in Spain, before sealing a return to the Premier League with Chelsea this summer.

"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."