text: Arsene Wenger wants Cesc Fabregas to be shown the ‘respect he deserves’ when he returns to the Emirates Stadium in the blue of Chelsea on Sunday. The problem with that is a decent chunk of Arsenal’s supporters feel he doesn’t deserve much. That became obvious on Thursday, when one prominent fan called for the removal of a Fabregas banner from the Ken Friar Bridge. Cesc Fabregas returns to Arsenal on Sunday and Arsene Wenger hopes fans will give him a good reception . Wenger wants 'respect' for the club's former players and counts Fabregas as a man who deserves that . Gunners fans offer their good luck to Fabregas in 2011, but the reception is likely to be more frosty this time . Extreme, perhaps, but this is an emotive issue which continues to bubble away at the club where Fabregas built his career, not least because the circumstances behind his summer move from Barcelona to Chelsea are still as clear as mud. Any clarity, it seems, will have to wait. Wenger was at his cryptic best on Thursday when asked if it was his call to not take up an option he had to re-sign the player, saying: ‘We will have to discuss that one day. With all the terms.’ When pressed on whether it was his decision, he added: ‘It’s not as clean as that. I cannot speak to you about that now because that will not help us to win on Sunday.’ At that point it was suggested to Wenger that Fabregas chose not to come back and Wenger said: ‘I don’t know, I don’t know.’ The Frenchman has previously claimed that by the time he knew Fabregas was available, a deal with Chelsea was virtually concluded — comments which jarred a little with the Spaniard’s statement last summer that Arsenal ‘decided not to take’ their option. Whatever, it would be ambitious for Fabregas to expect an overwhelmingly positive reception on Sunday. The midfielder set up Diego Costa to seal a 2-0 victory for Chelsea against Arsenal earlier this season . Certainly, there was already a degree of disappointment within the club about how their relationship with the player ended when he left in 2011. But Wenger said: ‘I want every player to be respected, and Cesc Fabregas when he comes to the Emirates on Sunday, (I want him) to be respected like he deserves.’ Wenger added: ‘The regret I have is that he wanted to leave here. This club and myself had a very positive influence on Cesc’s life, so I would be a bit uncomfortable to have to justify today why he is not here.’ When he returns, it will be as a key part of the champions-elect and under a manager in Jose Mourinho who has won seven and drawn five of his 12 meetings with Wenger. That clash, in itself, is a fascinating sub-plot to this fixture between the top and second-placed teams in the Barclays Premier League. Fabregas gets ahead of his now-team-mate Branislav Ivanovic to score against Chelsea for Arsenal in 2010 . Playing down his poor record against Mourinho, Wenger said: ‘We have not always lost, first of all, in 12 attempts. ‘We have come close to beating them and they’ve always had very strong teams. Having said all of that, the result on Sunday will be just down to the performance on the day. It’s not a confrontation (with Mourinho), it’s a confrontation of two teams. I’m not a great believer in history. I just think football is down to the fact the performance on the day will decide the game and the result.’ With seven straight league wins, Arsenal approach the fixture at speed, but Wenger accepts it is unlikely Chelsea will lose a 10-point advantage on the run-in. He said: ‘We dropped points at the start of the season but since January we have been top of the (form) table. We want to continue to win and strengthen our position in second place because that’s far from being done. 'Now what we can do is get closer to them and we have that opportunity. It still means even if we beat them, mathematically they are still in a very strong position. But you never know.’
target: Arsenal face Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday afternoon .
  Cesc Fabregas makes his first return to his former club in the clash .
  Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger wants fans to respect ex-players .
  The Gunners had the chance to re-sign Fabregas but he went to Chelsea .
  Wenger refuses to say if he regrets that but admits he wishes he never left .
  READ: Arsenal can beat Chelsea, says Arsene Wenger .
  Arsenal vs Chelsea special: Cesc Fabregas makes Emirates return .