Chelsea's gaping Cesc Fabregas need emerges as Declan Rice transfer destiny awaits for Tuchel

It spoke volumes about the impact Cesc Fabregas had at Chelsea that on his final appearance at Stamford Bridge he broke into tears before he departed for Monaco.

Fabregas, once a villain at Arsenal, had become one of the club's beloved protagonists.

As part of two title wins, an FA Cup and League Cup between 2014 and 2018, the Spanish maestro had dictated midfield, helped craft some wonderful goals and was added to a growing list of players who had found joy swapping north for west London.

When Fabregas left in 2019 he had mostly been sidelined by Maurizio Sarri, favouring the recently signed Jorginho at the base of midfield.

Since his exit, Chelsea have struggled to replace his influence and eye for a defence-splitting pass on such a consistent basis.

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Part of Fabregas' success at Chelsea was his outstanding connection to Diego Costa, creating 15 of Costa's 58 goals across his three seasons in west London.

A trademark goal was Fabregas picking the ball up behind the halfway line and finding Costa with a pinpoint floated pass over an opposing defence.

This type of goal was repeated multiple times across three different seasons under three different coaches. The sort of natural chemistry Thomas