Yeah I also heard about Fabregas being lined up as a replacement for Xabi Alonso initially but it seem Erik Ten Hag surpassed him in the rankings. However in terms of comparison Erik Ten Hag is a better coach than Fabregas better in experience and achievements too. ErikTen Hag is a good coach I will say this over and over that he is. The only aspect where I felt he lacked was his choices of players he signed and the ones he sold because they were also part of the reason he failed at Manchester United and stained his reputation, maybe Leverkesun could be his chance at redemption.
Xavi Hernandez was also linked to the job. I don't know if his wage was too much or the board didn't buy into his ideology, but in comparison among the three coaches, ETH stands out in terms of managerial experience and achievements, and that could be the reason he was hired. However, if I were to pick among the three coaches, I'd have chosen Fabregas. He's doing a fantastic job with Como and I think he'd have done well with Leverkusen. Except he wasn't interested.