Speaking at a promotional appearance in London, Chelsea’s Cesc Fabregas said that it was highly unlikely that he would ever return to play for Barcelona. The Spanish player had left Barcelona in the summer of 2014 to Chelsea for a fee of €38 million. "A return to Barcelona would no longer be possible, even if I wanted to. The Barcelona stage of my career is over, it is closed," he told Marca in London.
Known for his skill in midfield, the Spaniard helped Chelsea win the Premier League in his first season at Stamford Bridge. Though Chelsea’s current season was far from its best, he said that he was looking forward to working with new coach Antonio Conte to bring the Blues back to their prime. Chelsea’s current campaign was a disappointment for fans across the globe with the former Premier League winners falling to a mid-table position.
Also read: To La Liga and back again: The decline of Cesc Fabregas
Fabrgas admitted that the team had struggled in the disastrous first half of the season under Jose Mourinho. He suggested that poor preparation and a failure from certain players were the key reasons for the disastrous season Chelsea had to face.
"It was a very irregular season in which we did not feel comfortable. However, we improved and went 12 league games without losing and proved we were harder to beat. In any case, it has been a very disappointing season. Jose gave us a longer holiday because he knew that it would be very difficult to retain the title,” he said.
But Fabregas asserted that the future is bright at Chelsea, with Italian coach Conte taking over. The ex-Arsenal man said that he was excited about the former Juventus boss as he was a professional and competitive person and would bring the best out of the team as he knows what he is doing and has won titles with major clubs. He added that he was looking forward to learning a lot from Conte.
In a shocking statement, he had previously said that he had forgotten how to play football while working in Chelsea with Jose Mourinho. This came as a surprise as he had earlier mentioned that Jose Mourinho was one of the best managers he had ever worked with.
Reports have also surfaced in Spain that Real Madrid are eyeing the player following his statement.
Fabregas had come closer to reviving his best form since the arrival of interim manager Guus Hiddink in December and is far more satisfied with his performances in recent months.
