In recent days, Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas has been linked with a move to Italy in the Spanish media with Serie A giants Juventus, AC Milan and Inter Milan all reportedly keen on buying the midfielder. The Spaniard has had a tough time of it under Antonio Conte this season. He has done very little wrong when picked to play by the Blues boss, but yet he has been restricted to just five league starts this campaign.
At 29 years of age, there is a case to be made that it may be time to let Fabregas leave. Especially if he is not going to be part of Conte’s first team eleven, it would perhaps be wiser to cash in on a player whose monetary value will only depreciate in the next few years. Certainly with only a few days to go in the transfer window, it would be extremely foolish to allow him to go this month, but it is clear that next summer would be the best moment to sell.
His current contract runs until 2019, and by the end of the season he will have two years left on that deal. It could be said that if the Blues leave it another year, and he is still not a first team regular under Conte, his transfer value will have decreased significantly. Furthermore, the Italian manager will have the chance to bring in a replacement.
Bayern Munich midfielder Arturo Vidal was a trusted midfield general for Conte at Juventus where they won three league titles in a row together, and the Chilean international has been heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge. With Vidal seemingly a transfer target, it doesn’t seem too promising for Fabregas if he is determined to stay.
Looking at the Spaniard’s record this season, it would be hard to argue that he could have done a lot more. In 18 appearances in all competitions, he has managed seven assists and scored three goals, one of which was a winner against Sunderland in the 1-0 victory back in December. He managed an assist after coming with 20 minutes to go against Hull City just last week. It seems as though Conte just doesn’t see him playing as part of his midfield.
N’golo Kante and Nemanja Matic are never going to create as much Fabregas but they are grafters and carry out Conte’s instructions; providing a midfield cover to allow the front three to express themselves. If you look at the games he has started, the difference that Conte sees when Fabregas is in the team could be in the amount of goals that Chelsea concede.
In the eight games in all competitions that Fabregas has been named in the starting eleven, Chelsea have conceded 11, an average of 1.4 goals per game, a sharp increase than when he doesn’t play. In the same measure though they score 2.75 goals per game which is also an improvement than we he doesn’t start.
Conte is however a conservative manager at heart although Fabregas will have given him something to think about after his performance against Brentford in the FA Cup. If he had to choose between a side that concedes less, and one that concedes more, he would opt for the former. And that is the dilemma for Fabregas. Even though he is providing important contributions for the Blues in the title race, he simply doesn’t fit what Conte wants. It may be best for both parties then that a sale take place in the summer, but only if the manager finds a suitable replacement that can make up for his absence.
