With yet another commanding victory, this time against Southampton, Antonio Conte’s Chelsea side managed to break into the top-4 of the Premier League this season and is now currently just a point away from the top of the table. Lack of European football will help the manager and the side to go all the way this season but Conte is still worried about a few places in the side. It is clear that he is ready to spend as soon as the January transfer window is open and this will leave a few current club members nervous about their place in the squad. There are a number of players that might be leaving the club in January and one such player who is all but ending his career at the club is Spanish midfield genius, Cesc Fabregas.
Known for his vision and ability with the ball at his feet, Cesc Fabregas has won everything imaginable with club and country and has played for 3 of the best clubs in Europe. Having come to light at Arsenal, Fabregas moved to Barcelona to join one of the strongest squads in Europe but came back to the Premier League to join Jose Mourinho’s title-winning Chelsea side a couple of years ago. He was one of the most important players in that title race but was completely out of form in the previous season where Chelsea was dropped off to the 10th place. He has not been able to get his place back in the squad under the new manager Antonio Conte who wants to sell him in January.
Fabregas is currently on a £160,000-a-week wages at the club, which makes him the third highest earner at the club so it does not come as a surprise that Conte wants to get rid of the player to spend the same on his transfer targets. However, his wage demands have seen a number of potential suitors scared away recently so Chelsea are now reportedly happy to pay a part of the wages to offload him in January.
This news does not come as a surprise for the Blues’ fans who saw their manager offer the Spaniard to a number of clubs as a part of a deal to land top transfer targets in the summer.
The 29-year old has just not been able to get into the first team under Conte, especially after the 3-man defensive system working to good effect this season. Nemanja Matic and N Golo Kante are first choice midfielders for the side and have been in decent form this season while Willian, Eden Hazard and Oscar are expected to take charge of the attacking midfield area. This leaves Fabregas as a backup for both positions but at his age, he would like to be on the field playing day in day out.
This leaves both parties with very little to discuss about. The Spaniard is easily still one of the best midfielders in the world and can easily help Chelsea to another title before he quits the game. But Conte is confident of landing another top quality midfielder to add to his squad and it is better for the Spaniard to move away from London for the second time. Though reports suggest that a loan deal is on the cards, Conte will surely jump at a chance of selling him for the long term if potential suitors are ready to meet his valuation and wage demands. Surely, the Spaniard does not have enough in him to convince Conte to let his stay at the club next season after a loan spell in January.
So do you think Conte should let Fabregas leave on loan or should he sell him for good?