Cesc Fabregas believes securing the Premier League title with Chelsea will be harder than trying to win it with Arsenal

Fabregas didn't play in the Gunners' triumphant 2003-4 season but feels that the level of competition has gone up

Cesc Fabregas celebrates with Diego Costa (Getty Images)

Cesc Fabregas believes winning the Premier League title this season with Chelsea will be harder than to win it with Arsenal during his time with the Gunners.

Fabregas arrived at Stamford Bridge in the summer after completing a £30m transfer to return to the Premier League, having left Arsenal in 2011 to head back to his former club Barcelona.

The midfielder has settled well to life with the Blues having laid on 11 assists for his team-mates plus scoring in the 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace in October,although he missed the weekend victory over Hull through suspension.

Having seen their unbeaten run come to an abrupt end earlier this week when they suffered a 2-0 defeat at Newcastle, Chelsea haven’t looked as unstoppable as they appeared at the start of the season, and Fabregas believes that the step-up in competition in the Premier League since his stay with Arsenal means it’ll be a lot harder to be the ones celebrating come the end of the season.

Speaking in this month’s Chelsea Magazine, Fabregas said: “The league has improved since I left in 2011, especially defensively and also in terms of the stability that teams try to have — the coaches and teams are more afraid to drop points now.

“I feel that for the top teams it is a bit more difficult to attack than it was before. Spain technically is a great league and maybe it's still a little more tactical than England but that has improved a lot here.

Fabregas joined Chelsea in the summer for £30m (Getty Images)

“That doesn't mean in Spain it is more difficult to beat the opponent because in England — especially with the fans, passion and commitment — when we play away it is always difficult; all the teams want to attack.”

Fabregas believes it was easier to try and win the title with Arsenal (Getty Images)

Chelsea face Derby County in the Capital One Cup quarter-finals tonight before travelling to Stoke next Monday, and Jose Mourinho’s side also know that they will face Paris St-Germain in the Champions League last-16 following Monday’s draw.