Ahead of matchday two in the current Champions League campaign, Chelsea`s creative midfielder Cesc Fabregas has been speaking to Spanish news outlet Marca. The interview is carried in The Express. Fabregas spoke about how he had found life during Antonio Conte`s first year with the Blues.
`I’m not going to deny it, it was a difficult season, I came from playing everything with (Jose) Mourinho and (Guus) Hiddink and then suddenly I was not counted on all of the time. Not everyone knows what I went through during those months and there were people who went as far as to say that it was no longer worth it. Only my family knows what I have been through.`
Despite having a tough time and being linked with moves away from West London, Fabregas is determined to fight for his place. When asked if he had ever wanted to leave and the Spaniard had a firm answer,
`Honestly, no. I know what I can give the team and if I can play or not so I decided to stay and fight. With Antonio there is no option other than to compete and give 100 per cent in every training session and each match.
Already a favoutite with the Chelsea faithful, answers like that will only enhance that popularity.
Fabregas also felt that the Diego Costa transfer was all wrong, as reported in a seperate Express article. He was clearly unhappy Costa had left Chelsea,
`It’s a shame for him more than anyone, Diego knew that if he signed for Atletico he could not play for a few months. It has been a difficult situation for both him and for Chelsea; it has been wrong. Clearly I would have preferred for him to continue as a teammate, Diego will never be a rival to me. In recent years there has not been a pure striker better than him; he understood my game, read my passes and most importantly he could score from them. With Diego it is not just what he gives you on the pitch but it is his character, too, he brings a lot to the group.
Despite the animosity that exists between Diego Costa and Antonio Conte, the players still maintain a good relationship. Something that was apparent over the weekend when ex-Chelsea captain John Terry took to Instagram to mark the strikers imminent departure,
Someone else in the pro-Costa camp. Across the whole Chelsea squad Costa will probably receive a warm welcome from his soon to be ex teammates. Whether that goes for those in the away end remains to be seen.