Spanish midfielder Cesc Fabregas has stated he will not be leaving Chelsea in the January transfer window.
Fabregas’ present deal at Chelsea runs out at the end of the season and the midfielder will be able to sign a pre-contract with a foreign club from January.
Six key things to know about Fabregas’ situation at Chelsea:
- Fabregas joined Chelsea from Barcelona in 2014 for a reported £30m.
- The Spaniard was a key part in Chelsea’s Premier League winning campaigns in 2014/15 and 2016/17, building a good partnership with Diego Costa.
- Under Sarri, Fabregas has yet to start a single Premier League games and his contract expires next summer.
- But despite links to AC Milan, Fabregas has now ruled out a January transfer and plans to see out the season with Chelsea.
- Since joining Chelsea in 2014, Fabregas has recorded 41 assists in the Premier League, 22 more than any other Blues player.
- He even created more Premier League chances than any other Chelsea player last season (90).
Following the summer signing of Jorginho from Napoli, Fabregas has seen his game time severely cut down with the Spaniard making eight of his 10 appearances this season in cup competitions.
As a result, the 31-year-old has been heavily linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge, with AC Milan the team most mentioned as a potential destination.
But, despite having the opportunity to talk to other teams before the end of the seasons, Fabregas is insistent he has not done so.
Speaking after playing a part in Chelsea’s 4-0 win over PAOK in the Europa League, when asked about his future, Fabregas said: “No, I haven’t spoken to anyone.
“Obviously in January, I can sign (a pre-contract agreement) with whoever I want and probably this will attract many clubs.”
Fabregas also pledged his immediate future to the club, confirming he is happy at Chelsea and will stay until the end of the season.
He added: “But so far, from what I can say right now, yes I will stay here until the end of the season. I play at Stamford Bridge, I’m happy.
“That’s the most important thing. But of course, every player wants to play more.”
Starting in the deeper role of Maurizio Sarri’s midfield trio, replacing Jorginho with the Italian rested, Fabregas recorded two assists in Thursday’s win, one of which resulted in a first senior goal for 18-year-old Callum Hudson-Odoi.
Fabregas’ role at Chelsea is clear
While Fabregas’ long-term future at Chelsea is unclear, the Spaniard has been highlighted for a specific role under Sarri at Chelsea.
Though Jorginho has brought positive impact to Chelsea’s team since joining in the summer, playing at the heart of the Blues’ midfield, the Italian’s defensive deficiencies have been exposed in recent matches.
Most recently, in Chelsea’s 3-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, debate arose over whether N’Golo Kante should return to base of the midfield for his defensive abilities.
But, Sarri was quick to put paid to such suggestions, admitting he prefers someone technical like Jorginho or Fabregas in that role.
He said: “I think as you know I want to play a central midfielder who is a very technical player, for me the centre midfielder is either Jorginho or Fabregas. I don’t want Kante in this position.”
Last season Fabregas made his biggest impact playing alongside Kante in a two-man defensive midfield under Antonio Conte, playing 49 games across all competitions.
Kante’s presence alongside him meant Fabregas could have some more creative freedom to help his side forward without having to focus too much on the defensive phase.
In the Premier League last season, Fabregas averaged an impressive 71.2 successful passes per 90 minutes, while creating 3.51 chances per 90, 0.31 of which were defined by Opta as ‘big chances’. From those, the Spaniard recorded 0.16 assists per game and four in total.
By comparison, this season, Fabregas’ replacement Jorginho averages 90.32 successful passes per 90, but his creativity is a lot lower given the differing roles over the two seasons. The Italian has averaged 0.88 chances created, with 0.08 big chances and is yet to record an assist in the Premier League.
The post Cesc Fabregas rules out January transfer away from Chelsea appeared first on Squawka News.
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