Conte promises Chelsea midfielder bigger role next season

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has promised Cesc Fabregas he will have a more significant role in the team next season, reports the London Evening Standard.

Fabregas was heavily linked with a move to AC Milan at the beginning of last season after being deemed surplus to requirements by Conte.

The Spain international worked his way back into contention to finish as an important player for Chelsea during their Premier League winning campaign, but was his long-term future remained far from certain.

Conte’s decision to sign Tiemoue Bakayoko from Monaco in a £40m deal has already come at the expense of Nemanja Matic, who will leave the club this summer, but the Italian has no interest in letting Fabregas follow him out of the door.

The Chelsea manager is understood to have told Fabregas he should have introduced the Spaniard back into his first-team plans much earlier in the season and has now assured the former Barcelona midfielder of his role in the squad.

Fabregas made 29 appearances in the Premier League last season but the majority of those came during the second half of the season. Despite the fact 16 of those matches came as a substitute, Fabregas still weighed in with 17 goals (five goals, 12 assists).

In fact, of players that registered at least five assists in Europe’s top five leagues last season, no one required fewer minutes per each assist than the Chelsea No.4 (1 every 110.6 minutes of action).

For more stats on Cesc Fabregas, click here to visit his WhoScored player page