He was a PREMIER LEAGUE STAR and now he'll play Italian Serie B
A players career can take him on curious routes, and this is undoubtedly one of those cases
His career started in one of the most important clubs in Europe, and he earned a spot in the starting eleven as a teenager, but now he'll be continue his professional life in a league far from the highlights he once knew. Cesc Fabregas had it all when he first appeared in the English football scene, but his career has now gone down a curious path.
On 28 October 2003, Cesc Fabregas became the youngest-ever first team player to play for Arsenal, aged 16 years and 177 days. He had joined the Gunners' academy just a month earlier, believing he would have few opportunities at Barcelona. Still, with the likes of Patrick Vieira, Gilberto Silva and Edu ahead in the first team, it would not be until the 2004-05 season that he started to make an impact, as injuries to the starters opened gaps for him.
Cesc Fabregas became the central piece of Arsenal's midfield
Fabregas took full advantage of that, giving solid performances and even became Arsenal's youngest-ever league goal scorer in a 3-0 win over Blackburn Rovers. By the time 2005-06 had rolled around, Vieira had left for Juventus and Fabregas inherited his role and shirt number, still only 18 years old. From there on out, it became the Fabregas-era at Arsenal, with the Spaniard taking an everly increasing role as senior figures like Robert Pires, Thierry Henry and Freddie Ljungberg departed the Gunners. By the 2008-09 season, he was Arsenal captain.
However, as his career advanced, Fabregas was more and more unhappy with his situation. Arsenal had fallen from one of the two biggest teams in the Premier League to also-rans, bidding for that crucial fourth Champions League spot to keep financing the construction of their new stadium. Barcelona had won two of the last three Champions League titles by 2010-11, and they came back for Fabregas. The Spaniard sold his London house before the clubs had even agreed terms, pushing for a return to his childhood club, putting a bitter end to his Arsenal career.
Fabregas' time at Barcelona would be bittersweet. He arrived for the end of the Pep Guardiola era, and succesive coaches like Tito Vilanova and Gerardo Martino could not build such impressive or succesful sides. This, combined with a decline in Fabregas' performances, ended up with him wishing for a return to Arsenal at the end of 2013-14.
At Barça, Fabregas seems to have been caught between eras
However, the Gunners had signed Mesut Özil and would not fork out the 30 million euros Barcelona was asking, despite having priority due to the terms of Fabregas' sale. The Spaniard ended up at Chelsea, were he would enjoy a great start to life, winning the 2014-15 Premier League title, and then again in 2016-17 and becoming once again the playmaking hub for his team.
By 2018-19, however, his age was starting to show, so Fabregas secured a move to AS Monaco. His intention was to team up with his former teammate Thierry Henry, who was starting his coaching career at the Monegasque club. However, Henry was sacked just 11 days after Fabregas' signing, leaving him a bit stranded in an unfamiliar league.
Fabregas would play four seasons for Monaco, although form and fitness never allowed him to show his best self. Last season, injuries to his hamstring and ankles limited him to just two appearances all year, and Monaco let him go on a free deal.
Fabregas' move to Monaco was perhaps misguided
However, it is not yet the end for the Spaniard. Reports are now emerging that the Spaniard has reached an agreement with Italian second division side Como to join them on a two-year deal. The club was promoted from the Serie C in 2020-21 season, and after a solid first season in the second tier, they seem to be looking to build towards a promotion challenge to Serie A. Cesc Fabregas is now reported to be travelling to Italy to take the usual medical examinations and be presented as the new I Lariani star.
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