Despite speculation over his future at Chelsea, Cesc Fabregas insists he never had the plan to leave Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas insists he never wanted to leave the club despite speculation over his future.
The Spaniard has been at the centre of transfer talk, having played just 32 minutes in the Premier League under Antonio Conte this season.
Fabregas was given a chance in the EFL Cup on Tuesday and netted a match-winning brace in a 4-2 victory over Leicester City.
The 29-year-old said moving away from Stamford Bridge was never a consideration.
“I never planned to leave Chelsea,” Fabregas told Cadena COPE.
“Real Madrid? Maybe they called me or maybe not. But I didn’t think to leave Chelsea, not even for a second.”
Fabregas said he was growing tired of the speculation over his future, insisting he wants to stay despite a lack of game time.
“I’m tired of the news that says that I’m offering myself to other clubs. I’m one more of the team and I will keep fighting to play here,” he said.
“If I knew that I have no level to play in this team, I would leave, but I’m happy here. It hurts a lot not to play, but I know that I have enough level to play here and I will give my best.”
He added: “I spoke with Conte. We like him very much, he’s a great coach, very hard and he says the things very clear. We are very happy with him.”
Fabregas scored two goals against Leicester, but is this enough to convince Conte of his qualities and earn him a spot on the team?
With the competition for a place in Conte’s team as competitive as ever, is Fabregas’ omission and Oscar’s inclusion the right move?
Last season saw Fabregas make 37 appearances, contributing with five goals and seven assists, while Oscar only managed three goals and three assists, though notably, made fewer appearances, featuring in only 27 games in the league.
Though playing in a much deeper role than Oscar, interestingly enough, Fabregas managed to be more influential in the attack. He created 60 chances for the team and averaged 19 shots on target. Oscar, on the other hand, contributed less than half of his teammates tally, with only 26 chances and 16 shots on target.
The stats will come as a surprise to many, especially considering Fabregas was used as a central midfielder last season, whilst Oscar was deemed more of an attacking midfielder.
This season’s stats do not do Oscar any favours either, as both players have managed one assist so far. But while the Brazilian made that one assist in 420 minutes of game time, Fabregas has managed that same tally in his lowly 32 minutes.