Cesc Fabregas has issued a cheeky plea to Chelsea boss Antonio Conte, in a bid to end his run on the substitutes’ bench.
The Spaniard, on £200,000-a-week at Stamford Bridge (via the Telegraph), has endured a largely unhappy start to the season, with Conte preferring the partnership of new signing N’Golo Kante and Nemanja Matic in midfield.
As a result, Fabregas has made just three appearances in the Premier League so far, all of which have come from the bench, totalling 38 minutes of game-time.
Meanwhile a 10 minute cameo in the 2-1 loss to Liverpool on Friday brought the 29-year-old to 100 appearances for Chelsea. Rather than celebrate the achievement, he posted a thinly-veiled tweet that hinted at his continued disappointment of warming the Blues’ bench.
It was an honour to play my 100th game for this great club against Liverpool. I sincerely hope i can play 100 more starting from tomorrow. 😉
— Cesc Fàbregas Soler (@cesc4official) September 19, 2016
Despite his minimal minutes on the pitch this season, Fabregas has still created five chances – more than both Matic and Kante.
This creativity, which resulted in Diego Costa’s winner over Watford last month, means Conte may be tempted to change his system and accommodate the experienced Fabregas.
Chelsea play Leicester City in the EFL Cup third round on Tuesday evening, and squad rotation should mean Fabregas receives the minutes he so craves, even if it’s a different competition.
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