The CaughtOffside team takes a look at the biggest transfer if the summer so far.
On the day the 2014 World Cup in Brazil starts there was also big news in the transfer market as Chelsea signed former Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas from FC Barcelona.
The midfielder joins the Blues on a five-year deal and after spending eight years with their North London rivals, this is sure to be a sore point among fans in the English capital.
However, due to a clause written in into Fabregas’ contract at the Nou Camp the Gunners did have the option to re-sign the 27-year-old themselves, but turned it down – something which the player himself has since confirmed.
So the CaughtOffside writers decided to analyse the deal and determine which party has come out of it the best.
Is Fabregas a good signing for Chelsea?
Mark Brus: Fabregas is a great replacement for Frank Lampard and will surely go down as one of the signings of the summer for Chelsea.
Jacob Daniel: Yes, he fits into an area of the pitch where they were lacking last season.
Adam Davies: Yes. Proven Premier League quality, and at a good price. Chelsea are likely to make a profit on selling David Luiz and Juan Mata to sign Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa. That is remarkable business.
Steve Green: Yes, most definitely, he’d be a great signing for anyone. He can win teams points on his own.
Phil Haigh: Superb signing, he will be a great foil for Nemanja Matic in central midfield. He will not score as many as Frank Lampard in his pomp, but could be as influential.
Tom Seymour: For sure. At any other club than Barca the midfield would be built around him and that’s exactly what I expect Jose Mourinho to do.