Having made a surprise move to Chelsea this summer, former Barcelona star Cesc Fabregas has hit the ground running and helped the Blues take a commanding lead at the top of the Premier League. Goal assesses just how successful the transfer has been so far and what the future holds…
| THE DEAL |
Having previously declared that he could never envisage seeing himself play for a Premier League side that wasn’t Arsenal, Fabregas made the shocking decision to return to English football with the Gunners’ London rivals Chelsea – a move that dominated the build-up to Sunday’s clash between the two heavyweights at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea announced the deal just as Jennifer Lopez and Pitbull were taking to the stage in Brazil at the opening ceremony of the World Cup, with the transfer – the first big signing of the summer – almost threatening to overshadow the tournament curtain-raiser.
Not only would Jose Mourinho have missed an unforgettable rendition of ‘We Are One’ in order to rubberstamp the deal, but he was also forced to cancel a trip to watch his son, Jose Jnr, play an Under-14s tournament in Germany in order to meet with Fabregas and sell Chelsea to the Spaniard.
“It was the only day that Cesc could travel to London so I had to stay. I had to do my job. No problem. I will watch my son play other times,” said the self-proclaimed ‘Special One’. “Cesc and I spoke about football, the Chelsea project, where I want him to play, the way I want him to transform my team, the Chelsea philosophy. I spoke with him and, after 10 minutes, he was telling me he wants to join us… it was one of my easiest signings.”
Barcelona, keen to free up funds in order to fuel a move for then Liverpool striker Luis Suarez, allowed the 27-year-old to leave for just £27 million – less than they paid Arsenal back in 2011 when they had wrestled to bring the La Masia graduate back to Catalonia
Perhaps the most incredible part of Fabregas’s return to the Premier League was that Arsene Wenger rejected the opportunity to re-sign his former skipper. “Everyone knows that Arsenal had the first option to sign me. They decided not to take this option,” revealed the Spain international, with Wenger stating he was already overloaded with attacking midfielders and not in need of his one-time protege’s services.
Arsenal's loss has very much been Chelsea's gain, as was highlighted by Fabregas's starring role in the 2-0 victory over the Gunners at the weekend that leaves his old club nine points adrift.
| THE STORY SO FAR |
Fabregas could hardly have made a better start to life back in the Premier League, marking himself out as one of the division’s most talented players as Chelsea have romped to the top of the table largely thanks to the creativity and vision of the former Barca ace and the goals and power of fellow summer signing from La Liga, Diego Costa.
His seven assists this season are not only the most recorded by any player in Europe’s top five leagues, but he has also matched the tally posted by Eden Hazard last term, who was the Blues’ leading creator in the 2013-14 campaign. As testament to the error Wenger made in opting not to re-sign him, Fabregas has recorded as many assists as the entire Arsenal team put together.
Initially expected to line up as a No.10 upon moving to Stamford Bridge, Fabregas has been used almost exclusively as a deeper-lying playmaker alongside the monstrous Nemanja Matic, bringing more control and incision to a Chelsea side that have blown away opponents that were stubbornly resistant last season – and it was dropped points against such minnows that ultimately cost the west Londoners in the title race.
Fabregas has sparked up a particularly promising relationship with compatriot Costa, having assisted four of the Brazilian-born striker’s last five Premier League goals, and combined with the burly frontman once again against Arsenal, lofting a precision pass behind the Gunners’ defence to guarantee all three points.
“I don't remember a game this season where he was not fantastic,” marvelled Mourinho after another virtuoso performance from the Spaniard on Sunday, where he attempted more passes (70) than any other player on the pitch. “He's been doing this from day one. He's unbelievable. He showed he is very special and showed the professional he is. To play against the team where he was made for football shows his commitment to us even more, as well as his professionalism.”
| THE FUTURE |
Fabregas may have made a blistering start to his Chelsea career, but there is a sense that there is still plenty more to come from a player who has had just 799 minutes to acclimatise himself to his new team-mates, and new, ever-expanding role, since returning to London – it is a scary proposition indeed given how devastating he has already been this season.
For a start, the Spaniard has yet to notch in the Premier League this term, though did net against Schalke in the Champions League, and adding more goals to his game is surely the next step he must take. In his three season in La Liga with Barcelona he averaged 9.3 goals per league campaign, and a similar goal return could be needed this year with Oscar’s finishing ability having evaded him for much of 2014.
In fact, there will be increasing onus on Fabregas to extract more from the now two Amigos, as well as the rest of Chelsea’s bulging attacking talent, whose own profligacy has rather been ignored due to the sheer havoc and destruction being wreaked by the unstoppable Costa.
Fabregas may have combined magnificently with the former Atletico Madrid striker, but there is plenty of scope for him to forge similar understandings with the likes of Eden Hazard and Oscar in particular. Given that Branislav Ivanovic is the Blues’ joint-second top scorer, while the defence-conscious Ramires is the side’s second top assister, there is a need to get the other attackers more involved. Fabregas, as the cerebral hub of the side, needs to look beyond his own connection with Costa and get the other attackers more involved.
There is also pressure on the Spaniard’s shoulders to prove he can carry a title-winning team. He never managed to win the Premier League with Arsenal, while his single victorious league campaign in Spain was fuelled by Lionel Messi’s incredible 46 goals – a title that was sandwiched between triumphs for Real Madrid and Atletico.
Now in the very prime of his career, Fabregas will be looking to win the honours that have largely evaded him in his career but are undoubtedly befitting of a player so talented. The Champions League will be a priority target – though he will be conscious that it is almost nine years since he last appeared in a European final – and he will have to show he is capable of shining in a disciplined, hard-working capacity as well as in the freer role handed to him so far. Presently, though, Fabregas looks like the biggest hit of the summer.
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment