Mourinho states Fabregas chose Chelsea over Arsenal

Chelsea Complete Signing of Cesc Fabregas

Jose Mourinho has confirmed that Chelsea have completed the signing of Spanish midfielder Cesc Fabregas, marking the end of the club's transfer market activity for the 2014/15 season. The 27-year-old, who spent eight years at Arsenal before leaving for Barcelona in 2011, joins Diego Costa and Filipe Luis as the third player signed by Mourinho from Spain's La Liga this close-season.

Mourinho spoke with Fabregas for 20 minutes and expressed his satisfaction with the squad, stating that he likes it very much. The Portuguese manager argued that Fabregas had never been that interested in joining Arsenal and was instead very much in Chelsea's direction.

Fabregas played 212 Premier League matches under Arsène Wenger at Arsenal, scoring 35 goals. He helped Arsenal win the 2005 FA Cup and was the captain of the team before his departure in August 2011. Arsenal had an option to interfere if Fabregas left Barcelona, but Mourinho thinks Fabregas was not open to that.

Recently, Fabregas stated that Arsene Wenger could not find a spot for him in his starting XI, a claim that Mourinho believes to be true. The manager claimed it was "easy" to lure Fabregas to Chelsea, with the job of doing so considered easy by Mourinho.

Mourinho also stated that Fabregas had never been interested in leaving Barcelona for Arsenal, with the manager of Arsenal during that transfer being Arsène Wenger. Chelsea's transfer market was completed on July 19, well before the August 31 deadline.

Filipe Luis, formerly of Atletico Madrid, is another player signed by Mourinho from La Liga. Along with Costa and Fabregas, the Portuguese manager is confident that the new signings will strengthen Chelsea's squad and help them compete for major titles in the upcoming season.