Barcelona have released a statement on their official website which acts as a reason to why they sold Cesc Fabregas to Chelsea on Wednesday.
The former Arsenal man completed his move to Premier League side Chelsea on Wednesday, prompting outrage amongst Arsenal fans and delight amongst Barca fans.
The 27-year-old midfielder re-joined his boy-hood club back in 2011 after spending eight years with Arsenal, but despite a good start at the Camp Nou, many fans and media men close to the Catalan club had attacked his sub-standard performances towards the end of last season, which saw him have little impact against the likes of Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid.
Therefore, a statement on Barca’s official website has come as no surprise to the club’s fans, saying: “There has been a downward trend in his stats every season at the club,” it read.
“He slipped right back into the FCB system as if he’d never been away. But despite glowing starts to each campaign, Cesc’s contributions to the cause gradually decreased as each season drew to a close.”
Fabregas played 151 games for Barca but struggled to make an impact in midfield, due to the consistent performances of Andres Iniesta, Xavi Hernandez and Sergio Busquets.
“From being someone who joined in with the attack, supplying and scoring goals, the magic tended to fade later on in each season,” the statement continued.
“He only scored one, six and one goals in the last 24 games of each season. For some reason, he was never as good in the second half of a season as in the first.”