Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger says the club's financial stability enabled them to fight off Barcelona to keep hold of Cesc Fabregas.
Wenger insisted the club's strong financial position allowed them to resist Barca's advances.
"He was torn," Wenger admitted to the Observer.
"But I must say that during the whole period Cesc was remarkably respectful of Arsenal. He has never shown a lack of love for the club, and in the end we managed to hold on to him.
"What people do not realise is we can say no to anybody in the world because we are in a healthy financial situation.
"If we are £300million in debt, we cannot keep our best players. People have to understand that we were strong with the Fabregas case because we are well managed. We could afford to be strong, we can afford to say no to any number, because we just feel we want to keep our best players."
