Jose Mourinho Reveals Surprise at Arsenal Not Choosing to Buy Ex-Gunner Cesc Fabregas

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has claimed he didn't expect Arsenal to snub the chance to re-sign Cesc Fabregas in the summer.

The Spaniard made a £26m move to Stamford Bridge from Barcelona after Arsene Wenger rejected the chance to activate the buy-back clause in the Spanish midifielder's contract, as he already had Mesut Ozil in the playmaker role.

But some pundits have started to question whether Wenger made a mistake, as Fabregas has quickly become an crucial player for Chelsea.

The midfielder has played an integral role in the Blues' perfect start to the Premier League, providing six assists in Chelsea's four Premier League wins while scoring a goal during the Champions League 1-1 draw against Schalke on 17 September.

"For me it was a surprise that he came. We knew the type of player that we wanted but I never thought there was a chance Fabregas would come," Mourinho said to Portuguese TVI.

"I always thought he would stay in Barcelona or if he returned to England, it would be with Arsenal. When we knew it was possible, it completed the jigsaw leaving us with a team that still has many years to grow with its own identity."

Mourinho also addressed how Chelsea would be influenced by Uefa's Financial Fair Play rules. "The main clubs to benefit will be the most economically powerful with more history and more fans," he said.

"People talk about marketing and trade but this has to do with history. The marketing department won't make millions without history. Real Madrid is very strong in that aspect because it has a unique history and fans worldwide.

"Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern or United are historically different from the rest and will be the beneficiaries. A new owner who wants to grow their team quickly in order to compete with those teams will not benefit."

Nevertheless, the Portuguese boss believes Chelsea have improved their squad this summer and he hopes to win silverware this season after personally going two years without winning anything.

"Two years without winning is unusual but it's my fault. It's unusual to win seven straight championships. I won two in Portugal, two in England, two in Italy and then one in Spain," Mourinho said.

"In the past two seasons, my worst seasons, I reached two semi-finals of the Champions League, the final of the Copa del Rey, won the Super Cup against Barcelona and was pipped to second in Spain and third in England."