Cesc Fàbregas says he is so happy with life at Arsenal that he can see himself remaining at the Emirates Stadium for ten more years. The 20-year-old midfield player also revealed that a huge weight was lifted from the club when Thierry Henry moved to Barcelona in the summer.

“Henry intimidated us,” Fàbregas, whose four goals have helped Arsenal to the top of the Barclays Premier League, said. “He is a great player but it was not easy to play alongside him. We were a bit inhibited by him - dependent on everything that he wanted to do. Now it is different.”

Fàbregas believes that the Arsenal record goalscorer’s departure has served to spur on his former team-mates. “Everyone was saying that this year without Henry we would be nowhere. That has motivated everyone,” Fàbregas said.

Asked if he could see himself at Arsenal in ten years, he said: “Right now, yes. I feel valued and wanted. I love everything about English football. The pace of the game, the attacking style. I feel like a kid playing in the street.”

A significant factor in Fàbregas’s desire to stay was the assurance he received from Arsène Wenger that he would be staying on as manager. “There was a lot of movement at the club,” he said. “Henry left and so did David Dein [the vice-chairman] and there was talk of Wenger abandoning us. But I talked with him and everything became clear. He said he was staying and that was enough for me.”