Official: AS Monaco sign Cesc Fàbregas from Chelsea

Four-and-a-half years after completing his return to England via Chelsea from Spanish juggernauts Barcelona, Cesc Fàbregas’ journey as a Blue has come to an end.

The 31-year-old midfielder joins former teammate and now manager Thierry Henry at Ligue 1 outfit Monaco, who also hosts the services of former Chelsea technical director Michael Emenalo. He put pen to paper on a three-and-a-half year deal upon his arrival in France, with Monaco also reportedly paying €10 million to release Fàbregas six months before the end of his first and only contract signed with Chelsea, back in 2014.

With Chelsea, Fàbregas made 198 appearances in official games (including 3 Community Shield matches), scoring 22 goals and assisting 57 times across 14,366 minutes of playing time. He has also won his first two Premier League titles of his career, adding an FA Cup and a League Cup to his impressive resume as well during his years at Stamford Bridge. Last, but not least, it was with Chelsea that he made his 500th appearance in English football.

He arrived at Chelsea as an Arsenal legend, and had to put up a lot of work to dispel the negative impressions that comes along with such a tag. No one can say he did not do so, as he was a key part of the two PL trophies Chelsea lifted since his arrival.

And so, we say farewell to this class act. Because we are sure that our paths will cross again in the future.

Adiós, maestro.