Why Chelsea must replace Fabregas this summer

This English Premier League season is coming to a close.

There are only three games left and Chelsea needs miracle to finish in top 4 and gain their place in Champions League next season.

Even if they do it, there are very small chances that Antonio Conte will remain as Chelsea’s manager. The relations between him and the board are very tight and it’s obvious that the club will need a revolution in every aspect this summer.

But, Roman Abramovič and the board must understand that the manager is not the only problem they have to solve. They also have to renew their squad with fresh blood and world class players.

First name on the sheet that has to be upgraded is Cesc Fabregas. His time as an important player for Chelsea is coming to a close and Chelsea’s number one priority over the summer should be getting a good playmaking midfielder that will make a great partnership with N’Golo Kante.

Fabregas came to Chelsea from Barcelona in June 2014 for a fee in the region of €33 million. In his first season at the club, Chelsea has won the title and Fabregas scored 3 goals and also provided 18 assists.

In Jose Mourinho’s era at Chelsea, Fabregas was one of the first names on the team sheet. But, everything changed with Conte’s arrival.

At the beginning of the last season, the Blues midfielder faced the first major hardship of his career. He was even playing for Chelsea’s U-23 team, because he couldn’t get a game in the senior setup with Nemanja Matić and N’Golo Kante locking him out of the midfield spots.

However, Fabregas had other plans. With his hard work, he gained back Conte’s confidence and in the second part of last season he started to play with regularity.

He was good coming from the bench and popping assists late on. Nemanja Matić left the club this summer, and for Fabregas it meant even more playing time. But, this season shows that he is clearly past his best.

It’s obvious that he is done at top level. He was never an athletic player, but nowadays his passing distribution is average so he basically offers the team next to nothing.

You can see him trying but unfortunately his mobility is not good enough to face top teams. Fabregas epitomizes part of their squad’s issue right now - zero mobility, slow and ponderous.

He usually doesn’t provide anything but great passing, and when he can’t do that he’s just a passenger, and this tells you everything about his current state.

Midfield is where everything sticks together and his lack of mobility in many cases means that Kante must carry him on his back. For the sake of his legacy, he should quit Europe and join some team in China for the last few years of his career.

For Chelsea, on the other side, it’s all going to depend on whatever manager they get. There are many options they could easily target, but they will need to open the wallet.

 

Written by Rijad Abaza

Follow Rijad on Twitter @RijadAbaza

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