Cesc Fabregas says frustration at the club's lack of recruitment played a big part in decision to quit Arsenal to join Barcelona in 2011.
The Spanish midfielder had made over 300 appearances for the Gunners and was the club captain when he left Arsene Wenger's side to move back to his boyhood club.
Fabregas has revealed in an interview with Arseblog that he felt like Robin van Persie and Samir Nasri were the only players on his level at the club at the time and that the rest of the squad lacked his desire to win:
"I used to suffer, I used to spend sleepless nights suffering. And then you lose a game, you're in the bus like this, destroyed, and then you hear some players laughing, thinking about where they will be going out later.
"This was going on for a few years. We were playing beautiful football and I enjoyed that side of things but I was putting pressure on myself to lead, to do everything and at one point I felt kind of lonely.
"Especially in the last two or three years, I felt Robin and Samir were the only players - it's not an arrogant thing to say, it's how I felt at that time - were the players who were at my level mentally and technically.
"Many things came in my head, I have to admit I was a bit empty, I was drained mentally, physically, in my soul knowing I'm giving everything, knowing a few signings the club could have made but didn't happen.
"Seeing some behaviours from certain players or something like this made me feel I wanted to check something else. If it was not because of that, I would not have left Arsenal at that time."
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