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With his contract running out in the summer of this year, Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas looks set to move away from Stamford Bridge this January. AS Monaco seems to be his likeliest destination, under the management of former Arsenal and Barcelona team-mate Thierry Henry.
The Spanish play-maker signaled the end of his time at Stamford Bridge this weekend during the FA Cup 3rd round win over Nottingham Forest. Despite missing a penalty in the match, Fabregas was inspired on the pitch, showing how to retain possession and how to prise open a defense to create chances.
After the match we saw Fabregas waving to the Chelsea faithful and embrace his team-mates, with tears in his eyes. It looks like the move to Monaco is close to happening in the wake of speculation that he has given his team-mates an emotional goodbye and said his thank-you's to the club where he has spent the last four and a half seasons.
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To see such a player leave the English Premier League at the age of 31 with still a few more years left is a shame. I for one am grateful to have watched the former Spain international play at such a high level for so many years.
Do we fully recognize and appreciate the ability that Fabregas possesses? He is possibly one of the most intelligent central midfielders we have seen grace the Premier League. His ability to open up defenses with one pass is simply world-class; he would see passes that nobody around in the Premier League today would, with the possible exception of the Paul Scholes of old.
That is how highly we should rate Fabregas when it comes to talking about the best midfielders to grace the league.
When he first stepped on the pitch wearing the Arsenal shirt, it was clear to why manager Arsene Wenger rated the Spaniard so highly. This is a player who went into the heart of the Arsenal side following the invincible season. And despite not being as successful as the likes of Patrick Vieira, Emmanuel Petit and Gilberto Silva, Fabregas was a superstar in the Arsenal team for the next seven years.
Wearing the captain's armband, the young central midfielder took up the burden of expectations on his shoulders. He led the club to a Champions League final, but found himself craving more success as this Arsenal team was in a period when they found success hard to come by.
For the 2011-12 season Fabregas found himself back where it all began for him as a footballer - Barcelona. This was a highly successful time for the Spanish giants so for them to pursue Fabregas as they did and get his signature, showed just how good the player was.
During his time at Barcelona he won it all - Copa del Rey, La Liga, FIFA Club World Cup, 2011 Supercopa de Espana and the UEFA Supercup. He found his role change while under the leadership of Pep Guardiola, playing as an advanced play-maker and as a false number nine, integrating himself into a team alongside Thierry Henry, Andres Iniesta, Xavi, Lionel Messi and Alexis Sanchez.
Fabregas was loved by the Spanish fans and his contributions to the Spanish national side were also appreciated greatly.
Winning the World Cup and the European Championships twice for Spain was a fantastic achievement. Playing with his club team-mates Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets, Fabregas was as integral to this successful side as anyone else. His international career was a massive success; he had 110 caps and scored 15 goals.
The next step for Fabregas was to return to England - this time with Chelsea.
Fabregas was exceptional for Chelsea, especially in that first season back in the Premier League under the management of Jose Mourinho. He was the deep-lying play-maker in this team and his contribution was key to the success of the side.
He would win another league title when Antonio Conte took charge, again in this role alongside a midfield defensive runner.
When on the ball, Fabregas is exceptional. He plays integrate passes in a triangle, can go long, will dictate play centrally, takes the ball from his defense - he does everything that is needed to be a top class central midfielder. His style and elegance on the pitch will be a massive miss not only for Chelsea but also for fans of this quality of football.
350 Premier League appearances is a great landmark for the Chelsea number 4. And only Ryan Giggs has more Premier League assists than Fabregas who has 111 assists, which is an incredible achievement for the former Arsenal and Barcelona man.
When we talk about the great center midfielders in the league's history, Fabregas needs to be mentioned in the same sentence as Paul Scholes, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard to name a few. His contribution to the English game has been massive, and despite not being the most workaholic of midfielders, his ability on the ball must be considered among the top.
The Premier League's loss is a massive gain for Ligue 1 should the projected move to AS Monaco be finalized. They are gaining a player of the highest caliber who is still capable of dazzling his fans with his brilliance.
