Replacing Cesc Fabregas: Midfield alternatives Chelsea should consider

After an emotional farewell to the Stamford Bridge crowd last weekend, Cesc Fabregas’ imminent switch to Monaco has been delayed.

Chelsea have decided that any move for the Spaniard won’t be sanctioned until they find a replacement, of sorts, fearing that injury to one of their first choice midfielders would leave them exposed.

The Blues have since been heavily linked to both Zenit St. Petersburg’s Leandro Paredes and Cagliari’s Nicolo Barella, with the former reportedly closing in on a switch to the capital.

The Argentine is certainly a closer fit if the club were looking for a similar type of player to Fabregas’ skillset, though neither are what you would call like-for-like. That said, while Chelsea are no doubt looking for a player with some similar traits to the Spain international, a younger alternative with more energy and dynamism than the 31-year-old is arguably their requirement.

Finding a player like Fabregas is close to impossible after all, given that despite his age the former Arsenal and Barcelona star still boasts an exceptional range of passing and the vision to pick a ball through or over the opposition defence.

We’ve taken a closer look at how Chelsea’s two top targets stack up against their outbound star’s statistics, along with some alternatives that could come closer to filling the whole Fabregas will leave at the Bridge.

To do so we’ve considered Fabregas’ league statistics since signing for Chelsea given that his role has adapted in that time, with Maurizio Sarri on the lookout for a player that can get box-to-box more so than the Spaniard at this stage of his career.

Focusing predominantly on passing and creative statistics, we’ve tried to identify some options that offer some of the skills Sarri will be looking for in a new midfielder that Fabregas had in abundance in his prime.

As far as the two players that seem closest to a transfer this month are concerned, Paredes certainly has the range of passing to plug the gap, able to switch play effortlessly. The 24-year-old has averaged 7.13 accurate long balls per 90 minutes since the start of last season at Zenit, with Fabregas averaging 5.61 during his time at Chelsea.

The Argentina international also scores well for key passes per 90 (2.45), though in terms of creating chances from open play his figure is some way down on that of Fabregas (0.93 per 90 to 2.12). He doesn’t possess the same vision or quality in terms of his final ball - averaging 0.1 accurate through balls per 90 and 0.18 assists to Fabregas’ 0.48 and 0.38 respectively.

As far as Barella is concerned, he’s highly thought of in Italy for a reason - capped for the Azzurri late last year at the age of just 21 - but shouldn’t be thought of as a replacement for Fabregas should he make the move to England.

The youngster is a busy midfielder with a wide range of skills but isn’t overly creative, with just a single league assist since the start of last season. He’s full of energy and enthusiasm, which can boil over into aggression at times, but would be an asset in terms of regaining possession as much as retaining, averaging an almost identical number of tackles (2.79 per 90) as Fabregas, whose defensive work rate is often overlooked.

Elsewhere in Italy, Fiorentina’s Jordan Veretout would probably file somewhere between the two in terms of playing style. The former Aston Villa man may have bad memories of his time in England but has made quite the impression in Serie A, drawing the interest of both Inter and Napoli of late.

The Frenchman has a good variety to his passing and can create chances, both from set pieces and open play, but that creativity doesn’t really bare out in assists for one reason or another. He’d certainly be a player Sarri is well aware of, but whether the 25-year-old is of the calibre the club would consider is debatable, despite a €30m asking price.

One player that would come close to Fabregas in terms of chance creation and tackling is Hoffenheim’s Kerem Demirbay. The German has been linked to Liverpool this season and his ability in both the attacking and defensive phase would appeal to most managers.

The 25-year-old had injury problems last season but has looked back to his best this and boasts near identical figures to Fabregas for both key passes (2.93 to 2.97) and tackles (2.89 to 2.78) per 90 minutes. He doesn’t offer the same range of passing, with a modest 2.84 accurate long balls per 90 but is more creative in open play than Paredes, for example, with a higher defensive output to boot.

Bruno Fernandes of Sporting could be another option, and while he would generally be considered as a more attacking alternative, the Portuguese playmaker has shown versatility to play in a variety of midfield roles. His end product has been strong since returning to Liga NOS, with a direct hand in 30 goals since the start of last season, and the 24-year-old’s passing statistics, while inferior, are not too dissimilar to those of Fabregas across the board.

However, if Chelsea were in the market for a more attack-minded player, Hakim Ziyech would be an upgrade on the Sporting star. His statistics come with the important caveat that players from the Eredivisie have often struggled to transition to the English game, of course, but the Moroccan has been sensational since signing for Ajax, that’s for sure.

That unknown ability to adapt to the demands of the Premier League has undoubtedly deterred suitors to this point in making a move for a player that has proven, consistently, to be too good for the Dutch league.

His averages in terms of key passes (4.21), key passes from open play (2.74), assists (0.45) and through balls (0.7) per 90 minutes not only dwarf the opposition here but are also superior to those of Fabregas. Meanwhile, though the 25-year-old is more accustomed to an advanced role he did operate in a midfield three for Ajax last season in what was a similar system deployed to that under Sarri.

The stats suggest Ziyech would offer something Chelsea would lack, certainly once Fabregas makes the move, with Chelsea lacking any great creativity in the final third from their three-man midfield. Whether or not a top team will take the risk on him remains to be seen, with Paredes at least having caught the eye in Italy prior to a move to Russia.

It’s the latter that appears the most likely, but for any player looking to fill the boots of Fabregas to any degree, replacing the 31-year-old won’t be a simple task.