Fabregas leaves Chelsea to join Monaco

Spanish midfielder Cesc Fabregas has joined Ligue 1 side Monaco from English Premier League side Chelsea, the two clubs said on Friday.

“Cesc Fabregas has today completed a permanent transfer to Monaco,” Chelsea said on their website, just as Ligue 1 Monaco tweeted a video of Fabregas with a voice-over saying “now it’s time”.

The midfielder’s switch to the Ligue 1 club brings the curtain down on his four-and-a-half- year Chelsea career, a period in which he won four major trophies.

These are two English Premier League titles, one FA Cup and one League Cup, during a period when the Spaniard made 198 appearances for Chelsea and scored 22 goals.

“We thank Cesc for his wonderful service and wish him the very best of luck for the next chapter in what has been a fantastic career,’’ Chelsea FC wrote.

Fabregas arrived at Stamford Bridge as a 2012 European Championship and 2010 World Cup winner with Spain.

The midfielder departs England with the second-highest number of assists in Premier League history, 111, after recently making his 350th appearance in the competition during the game against Southampton.

He was also the fastest player to reach 100 Premier League assists, achieving the feat in just 293 matches.

Fabregas signed in the summer of 2014 as Jose Mourinho sought to add a creative presence in midfield.

This was after the departure of club legend Frank Lampard at the end of the previous season.

Fabregas is now joining up with Thierry Henry, a former teammate and current manager of the municipality club, who was the Spaniard’s captain at Arsenal.

He had joined Chelsea from Arsenal, having moved to England from La Masia, FC Barcelona’s youth academy, at age 16 in September 2003.