Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas admits he is indebted to former manager Arsene Wenger for the way he developed his talent at Arsenal.
Fabregas hailed the Gunners' boss as the 'best coach in the world for young players' - leaving a little room for suggestion that he now ranks current boss Jose Mourinho over the Frenchman. Regardless, the Spaniard openly admitted his appreciation of Wenger's help in his early years in the game, after joining Arsenal from Barcelona as a teenager.
Speaking to Spanish newspaper El Pais, he said of Wenger: "I will always be grateful. For a young player he is the best coach in the world.
"You make a mistake and he includes you (in the team), you make another mistake and he includes you, you get booed and he includes you. He doesn't care. He believes in you. He always had confidence in me."
Fabregas went on to discuss how he couldn't have imagined lining up in a Jose Mourinho team during his days at Barcelona and Arsenal, and admitted that he used to hold a heated rivalry with both Mourinho and current club captain John Terry.
He continued: "Three years ago I wouldn't have imagined working under Mourinho. But in the end, life has many turns, and more so in football. We had a big rivalry with Mourinho, we were against him but I never hated him.
"Chelsea was the team that I wanted to beat the most. I also had a lot of spats with (John) Terry but in the end, we are people. I'm not driven by hate."
While Arsenal didn't want to re-sign Fabregas last summer, he now admits he is happy to be back in London and feels appreciated in his new home.
He said: "I returned to London because I try to go to the places where I feel loved and happy. The change from Arsenal to Chelsea from a sporting point of view has not been that big.
"Had I made that change three years ago, I guessed it would have been a bigger adjustment but not now. Chelsea has changed, it's not the team that I expected. Now it's a team that wants to have a starring role. It wants to dominate games, have more possession. From a football standpoint is similar to Arsenal.
"I feel really valued and respected more than in Spain but it's normal. I spent eight years at Arsenal and now I have returned.
"I'm having a good season. Chelsea has given me security. I am rediscovering myself in football terms. I feel important, I wouldn't say as the guiding captain but almost. It's just that I play further back and that makes me feel more active in games and hence, I enjoy myself much more
"I touch the ball 90 to 100 times per game and I missed that. I hope I can win everything with Chelsea but I don't want the Champions League to become an obsession."
Fabregas admits that learning from Wenger, Mourinho and the likes of Pep Guardiola has got him holding desires to become a coach when his playing days end. He said: "I'm learning from the best of the best and I feel very fortunate. I think I have the personality to become a coach but we shall see.
"I feel I will end up coaching one day."
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