Cesc Fàbregas Reveals How José Mourinho Convinced Him to Join Chelsea
By Ben Carter
Cesc Fàbregas says he was convinced over a move to Chelsea after one meeting with José Mourinho, where the Portuguese manager promised the club would win the Premier League title if he moved to Stamford Bridge.
When Fàbregas left Barcelona in 2014, his first choice was to rejoin Arsenal. But after being left in the dark by Arsène Wenger, who had a plethora of midfield talent to choose from at the time, the former Spain international had the chance to return to the Premier League with three different clubs; Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea.
It only took one meeting with then Chelsea manager Mourinho to persuade Fàbregas over the transfer, where the former Arsenal captain was told he would help the club win another Premier League title.
"One day, when I first met him he told me 'I need two players, I’m going to sign Diego Costa. If you come to me...', he drew me the team on paper and said 'this team is winning the title'," Fàbregas told Rio Ferdinand's FIVE YouTube channel.
"The first day I met him he said ‘I only need two players: Diego, who is basically signed' and then Thibaut Courtois was coming but if not it was Petr Čech. It’s basically the same. But he said: 'you come, we will win the title'.
"After that, working with him, he’s probably the coach that played with my mind better. He’s a great coach for great players. He plays with the mind. He stimulates you.
"One day, we were doing very well in the league and he texts to tell you how good you are, how you played so well... [but then] 'today you were rubbish'. Like this, he plays with you."
Fàbregas went on to make 198 appearances for Chelsea across all competitions, scoring 22 goals and picking up 57 assists.
He also won five pieces of silver during his time at Stamford Bridge, eventually leaving the club in January 2019 where he joined French side AS Monaco.