Why the Signing of Cesc Fabregas Will Prove to Be Chelsea's Best Summer Move

Former Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas was something of a surprise signing for Chelsea this summer. The Blues needed a replacement for Frank Lampard in the heart of the midfield, and while they were never going to find a player as prolific in front of goal as the England man, they might have found a suitable successor in Fabregas in terms of influencing games.

After Arsene Wenger turned down the chance to bring the Barcelona player back to north London, Jose Mourinho moved to capture the creative central midfielder on a five-year contract for a fee of £30 million, per Sami Mokbel of the Daily Mail.

The Chelsea manager flew out to visit Fabregas specifically to convince him to sign, and the Spaniard cited this as a key factor in his decision to sign for his former club’s rivals. He told reporters:

"

When Jose came to see me, he made me believe that he wanted me in a very good way. When we spoke together, I became sure it was the best option for me. Now I want to win absolutely everything.

I know Jose's teams are always very difficult to bear and to play against. Tactically they are very well-composed and they have discipline. He gets the best out of his players.

"

Fabregas settled in almost immediately, scoring two wonderful goals in pre-season and showing early signs of forging a strong partnership with fellow new signing Diego Costa.

His influence so far has drawn high praise from Mourinho, who told Chelsea TV, via Matt McGeehan of the Press Association (h/t Daily Mail): "To play with Fabregas is the dream of every striker. The guy sees the movement, sees the pass, is not selfish, makes always the right choice."

However, it is not only Costa who has benefited from Fabregas’ arrival.

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Fabregas’ vision has made him the perfect partner for Nemanja Matic in midfield. The big Serbian is more defensive-minded and able to protect the back four while Fabregas links the play between midfield and attack.

However, his ability to play equally as well in both central midfield and as a No. 10 could potentially have an even bigger impact on the future of the club.

Oscar has been inconsistent since a blistering start to last season, although he has continued his excellent off-the-ball work. Although Mourinho has thus far persisted with him as a No. 10, Oscar’s future could lie in a similar everyman role to the one that Fabregas fulfils.

There are only four years between them in age, but Fabregas’ experience at the peak of both club and international football will be invaluable to mentoring Oscar’s development into the world-class player he has shown flashes of becoming.

His arrival has also relieved the pressure on Chelsea’s Player of the Year from last season, Eden Hazard.

The two combined for Fabregas’ first competitive goal for the club against Schalke in the Champions League, and the Spaniard created a further five chances for his team-mates.

Add that to the six assists that he has notched in four Premier League games, as well as the 259 of 289 attempted passes that he has completed, and you have the makings of an exceptional signing.

Statistics via WhoScored.com.