Despite winning nearly every trophy there is, the future of Cesc Fàbregas is up in the air.
Fàbregas has been a vital player ever since signing in 2014 – winning two Premier League titles in that time.
Even Antonio Conte – who initially didn’t fancy him in his 3-5-2 system – found room for him due to Fabregas’s metronomic abilities.
But this year may prove to be Fàbregas’s biggest test yet.
The arrival of Maurizio Sarri will bring another tactical change, meaning Fàbregas may have to prove his worth yet again.
Sarri strictly plays with a 4-3-3 formation and Sarri demands that each midfield position has their own qualities.
One midfielder must be a tough-tackler who can run all day long. N’Golo Kante will play here and Fàbregas doesn’t possess the physical skills to do this.
The second is a box-to-box midfielder, who’s primary function is to link the midfield and the attack and score goals.
Yet again, Fàbregas’s physical abilities hinder his opportunity to fill this role, despite being a good goal-scorer.
The last position in the midfield – the deep-lying play-maker – is the one that people will have Fàbregas pencilled in for.
Fàbregas’s passing ability makes him ideal for this role but in this role, he will sometimes be isolated to defend against attackers and through the years we have seen that he is suspect defensively.
As a result, Jorginho has been signed to play in this position, leaving Fàbregas’s role uncertain.
So what does the future hold for the Spaniard?
We could see him move to a European club as their transfer window is still open.
But, and this is more likely, we will see Fàbregas sticking it out, probably on the bench, in the hope that he can force his way into Sarri’s plans.
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