- Chelsea dug deep to pull off an important victory over Bournemouth
- The Blues were solid all round but one man in particular stood out from the rest
- Cesc Fabregas once again showed his capabilities in central midfield
- The Spaniard is still due a new deal and the silence has been deafening
Cesc Fabregas has barely 18 months left on his contract at Chelsea and the silence over a new deal has been deafening.
There were rumours in the summer that talks might have started, but nothing more happened.
There have been mentions since about extending his stay at the Bridge, now into its fourth season, but again nothing remotely resembling a pen being put to paper.
Cesc Fabregas put in another solid performance against Bournemouth and showed his worth
You wouldn’t blame Fabregas for pondering his future. He must still be unsure how manager Antonio Conte feels about him after spending most of last season watching from the bench.
Yet by the time Saturday’s game at Bournemouth was even half way through you could only reach the conclusion that last year’s Chelsea team must have been something pretty special if they could win the title without the Spaniard being a key part of the team.
This season, since Nemanja Matic has departed, he has started every Premier League game bar one and more than made his contribution.
And while he may have passed his 30th birthday in May, and Chelsea’s board are notoriously reluctant to dish out longer deals to their older players, Fabregas really ought to be an exception.
The Spaniard is instrumental for the Blues and will have some concerns about his future
They used to say of Tottenham’s former Argentinian midfielder Ossie Ardiles they he didn’t pass you the ball, he loaned it to you, and Fabregas is much the same.
When he picks it up in deep positions he’ll sometimes play it simple but then always moves to get it back.
And unlike many midfielders he’s always looking for the pass that hurts.
He cares too. In the debacle at Crystal Palace two weeks ago he one of the few who couldn’t be accused of being too casual.
Just before half time versus Bournemouth he hit a magnificent long pass that went just a fraction out of Eden Hazard’s reach and skipped in frustration that he had been good but not absolutely perfect.
Fabregas picks up a number of roles for Chelsea and has filled in for Nemanja Matic perfectly
Alongside him Tiemoue Bakayoko was sporting blue-dyed hair to celebrate his first goal since his £40m summer move from Monaco.
And as the clock ticked into added time he was the man keeping calm and keeping the ball to protect the precious lead.
It wasn’t a man of the match performance, simply a solid one, the sort Fabregas turns in game after game. Can Chelsea really afford not to settle his future?