The Chelsea midfielder reunites with his former Arsenal teammates Thierry Henry with the task of helping the Ligue 1 side avoid relegation
Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas has completed his move to Monaco in a deal worth a reported £10 million ($12.8m).
The 31-year-old has signed a three-and-a-half-year-deal with the principality club, with it hoped he will play a key role in helping the 2017 Ligue 1 champions avoid relegation.
He will reunite with former Arsenal team-mate and close friend Thierry Henry at Stade Louis II, with the Gunners’ all-time top goalscorer taking his first steps in management after Leonardo Jardim was sacked in October.
“It is a great pleasure to join AS Monaco, a new project for me,” Fabregas said in a statement.
Fabregas’ departure from Chelsea sees him end four-and-a-half years at Stamford Bridge after he joined the Blues from Barcelona in 2014, with the Spain international helping the west London outfit win two Premier League titles, the FA Cup and the League Cup.
“There is no doubt Fabregas’s place in the Chelsea history books is assured given his achievements over the past four-and-a-half seasons,” a club statement read. “Big goals and outstanding moments of quality, all backed up by the ultimate aim, which is to be part of a successful, trophy-winning team.
“Fabregas departs having helped the club achieve great success, as well as providing our supporters with some wonderful memories.”
In total he scored 22 goals and laid on 57 assists during his 198 appearances for Chelsea, the last of which came on Saturday when he bid an emotional farewell to the club’s fans in the final stages of his side’s 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup.
Henry is keen to bolster his squad with his side sitting 19th in the table and five points from guaranteed safety, though they did book themselves a place in the Coupe de la Ligue semi-finals on Tuesday.
- Monaco have completed the signing of midfielder Cesc Fabregas from Chelsea
- The Spanish playmaker will join the Ligue 1 side on a three-and-a-half year deal
- He is fourth signing made by Thierry Henry since the January window opened
Thierry Henry has made his first major transfer coup after Chelsea confirmed the departure of Cesc Fabregas to Monaco.
The Ligue 1 strugglers made the announcement on Friday afternoon and is the fourth bit of business they have conducted since the transfer window opened on January 1, with the 31-year-old signing a three-and-a-half year deal.
Speaking after the deal was confirmed, Fabregas said: ‘It’s a great pleasure to join Monaco, a new project for myself.
The 2017 French champions sit second-from-bottom, five points adrift of safety. It will be a different challenge for the playmaker, who has spent so much of his career at the top end of the table.
In total, Fabregas spent more than a decade terrorizing Premier League defences
