• Premier League

I feel important at Chelsea, says Fabregas

Cesc Fabregas has shone for Chelsea this season © PA Photos

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Cesc Fabregas believes it will be harder to win the Premier League title with Chelsea than when he was at Arsenal, but is enjoying playing football where he feels "important."

Fabregas, 27, left Arsenal for boyhood club Barcelona in 2011 but returned to London this summer to sign for Jose Mourinho's side, where he has so far impressed at Stamford Bridge.

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"Of course when Jose Mourinho came in, it was a big chance for me," Fabregas told Chelsea Magazine. "I had a really good time at Barcelona but I wanted to feel the way I'm feeling now - someone who can really give something positive to the team and feel that I am important.

"This is a big thing for me and when I spoke to the boss [about the transfer], he made me feel all those things and told me what I wanted to hear, what I needed to hear."

Chelsea currently sit three points clear at the top of the Premier League but Fabregas says the English top flight is tougher now than when he left it for Barcelona three years ago.

"The league has improved since I left in 2011, especially defensively and also in terms of the stability that teams try to have - the coaches and teams are more afraid to drop points now," Fabregas said.

"I feel that for the top teams it is a bit more difficult to attack than it was before. Spain technically is a great league and maybe it's still a little more tactical than England but that has improved a lot here.

"That doesn't mean in Spain it is more difficult to beat the opponent because in England - especially with the fans, passion and commitment - when we play away it is always difficult. All the teams want to attack."

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