Having made a surprise move to Chelseathis summer, former Barcelona star Cesc Fabregashas hit the ground running and helped the Blues take a commanding lead at the top of the Premier League.Goalassesses 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 theLa Masiagraduate 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
Posted on: Thu, 09 Oct 2014 08:16:43 +0000