Fabregas: Barca must show respect

Cesc Fabregas has hit out at Barcelona over their pursuit of several of his Arsenal team-mates, and has told the club to show "more respect"

Barca have been linked with a number of Arsenal's top players this summer, with forward Emmanuel Adebayor and midfielder Alexander Hleb the most talked about targets in the Spanish media.

The amount of speculation coming out of Spain regarding the duo has upset Fabregas, who told Catalunya Radio that such reports unsettle players and that the London club would not act in such a public manner.

"A club like Barca should show a bit more respect to the intimacy of a club like Arsenal that never make a lot of noise (over transfers) and who always try to do things properly," the former Barcelona trainee said.

"In the last few weeks it's come out that Barca are in for at least seven Arsenal players and there's no need for that.

"These things cause doubts in the mind of the players and unsettle us.

"Arsenal do things differently, always in secret, and that's much more normal.

"They shouldn't do things so that everybody knows about it. If the player wants to go he'll go anyway."

Fabregas, who upset Barcelona when he joined Arsenal as a 16-year-old in 2003, revealed that he had spoken to his team-mates about the speculation and said he would support them whatever their decision.

"I've spoken to one of the players who's being spoken about, he's a friend of mine and I've wished him all the best if he stays or if he goes," he added.

"Hleb and Adebayor should do the best for their future and to be happiest, but I'd like them to stay at Arsenal."