The rise of Cesc Fabregas Serie A, Como: “Ambition here is maximum”
“I will always be older than him, but now he is the responsible,” says goalkeeper Como Pepe Reina AtleticoSpeaking of his former teammate of Spain Cesc Fabregas, who is now his manager.
Reina became part of Como with a free transfer last summer after Fabregas convinced him to join the project towards the upper mobile in part Serie A.
The former Barcelona, Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder is now 37. The former man of Liverpool and Naples Reina is 42 years old, but says that the change in their relationship was not difficult.
“It was a very fast call, 10 minutes, and the” coach “convinced me for the project,” says Reina. “For sure, Cesc will be one of the best coaches. He has his football ideas and also a pragmatism when it comes to communicating his message to everyone. Convinces you.”
Reina was not the only former colleague that Fabregas called last summer. Sergi Roberto, the former Barcelona midfielder, was also convinced by the ambition of his Catalan colleague.
“Como has drawn my attention for many reasons,” says Roberto Sergi Atletico. “The first was the chief-cesc was my teammate, my friend. Throughout the summer, we were talking constantly. I had doubts because Como had just been promoted by Serie B, but talking to Cesc, looking at the project, the ambition here, gave me confidence. CESC was one of the keys to me to take this decision.”
Fabregas was involved for the first time with Como as an investor, through his agent Darren Dein, son of David Dein, vice -president of Arsenal during their time to the club.
The former Chelsea and England midfielder Dennis Wise, CEO of Como at the time, also helped convince Fabregas to join the team for the 2022-23 season, when he participated in Serie B. After retiring as a player, Fabregas remained at the club as a coach of Como Primavera, the under-19.
In November 2023, Fabregas was promoted to become an interim coach of the senior part, working alongside the Welsh Osian Roberts, while completing the required UEFA badges.
After the duo led the team to the promotion, Roberts returned to his role as head of the development of Como and Fabregas was confirmed as a full -time manager on a four -year contract last July.
It is currently 13th in the Serie A table, but sits seventh for possession (54.3%) and eighth for the completion of the passage (84.8%), suggesting the influence of its boat time with Pep Guardiola, and also lessons learned by Vicente del Bosque in Spain and Airsne Wenger at Arsenal.
“I was lucky enough to have many coaches whose football idea was very similar,” says Roberto, who played with Fabregas for Barcelona from 2011 to 2014, winning six trophies, including the title La Liga 2012-13.
“Each coach has its own variables, different things,” says Roberto. “But the idea of Pep, Louis Enrique, Xavi and now Cesc is always having the ball, to press up when you lose it, to dominate the game. This is the general idea – So each coach adds his own differences.”
Roberto signed a two -year agreement with Como at the beginning of the season (Francesco Scaccianoce/Getty Images)
The Como of Fabregas is also fourth for the contrasts for the game (17.9) and fifth for drips for the game (7.2) in Serie A this season, perhaps showing a more physical and direct influence of the coach’s time that works under the most pragmatic managers Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte during the seasons of the Premier League prizes at Chelsea.
“(Fabregas) was lucky enough to have had many great coaches and learned from everyone,” says Reina, who spent eight years together with Fabregas in the National Spain team, winning Euro 2008, World Cup 2010 and Euro 2012 along the road.
“For sure, Airsne Wenger was a really important figure for him,” says Reina. “He taught him many things, which he now uses in his speeches, in his tactical ideas. But the team has continued to evolve and adapt. We have been very similar to chameleon. In some games, we had to suffer, not having so much of the ball, trying to really press the tone-and this is what is in competition.
“Like me, Cesc has played in four best championships (Spain, England, Italy, France) and everyone brings you new things, to enrich your ideas and help your career.”
When asked about what makes Fabregas different from Xavi and other coaches in the boat school, Roberto indicates the amount of details in the scouting opponents.
“Cesc reads the games very well and reads opponents very well,” says 33 -year -old Roberto. “When it comes to preparing a game, he always has two or three options. And the truth is that during the games, what we worked during the week always happens. It speaks really well in Cesc as a coach.”
The owner of the majority of Como is the Djarum group, a conglomerate owned by the Bro Indonesian billionaireThers Robert Budi and Michael Bambang Hartono. According to the Bloomberg Billionires index, more than $ 35 billion are worth together, making them among the richest owners of European football.
When Djarum took Como control in 2019, the team was in the fourth Italian level. Significant investments have helped they quickly climb the divisions, Together with the intelligent recruitment, which mixed a nucleus of players who knew the pre-pre-presepe club with the Serie A players in encouraged to lower a level.
Last summer, the owners sanctioned a transfer of 50 million euros to over a dozen players: the arrivals mix included the Italian international striker Andrea Belotti of Rome for 4.5 million euros for 4.5 million euros (since then he joined Benfica on loan) and in the promising young director Nico Paz of Real Madrid for € 6m.
Among the arrivals of free transfer there were Reina, Roberto, Raphael Varane (who since then had to retire due to a knee injury But he became a member of the Board of Directors) and the former left back of Liverpool and Villarreal Alberto Moreno.
“In order for the project to continue to move forward, the main objective was to remain in the division,” says Roberto. “They needed players accustomed to competing at the highest levels and who could help the team a lot. At the beginning of the season, in particular, we lacked a little Serie A experience. We dominated the games but they did not closed the results”.
One of the three goalkeepers of the team, Reina has played 11 games so far, often led the team when it is in the XI.
“On the field, I participated when they needed me,” says Reina. “But I know that my role is above all off the pitch. What was necessary was to instill more than a winning mentality in the locker room.”
Reina and Fabregas during the celebrations of Spain after their victory for the 2010 World Cup (Miguel Riopa/AFP via Getty Images)
Among the exceptional artists of this season for Como was Argentina Under 21, born in Spain, international Paz. In his first flagship campaign, the striker’s midfielder has already scored six goals and made five assists.
“Nico has an extraordinary level of talent,” says Reina. “It can still improve much more and knows it. He is a humble child, with the hunger to improve. But we have to be careful. He is only 20 years old and we cannot forget it.”
Former Tottenham and Everton Dele midfielder joined Como in January 2025, not having played a loan spell at the Turkish team Besiktas in 2022-23 at all.
ALLI has only played nine minutes in Serie A so far, a replacement appearance in January which was interrupted by a red card. This was his first game for any club from February 4, 2023. However, Reina says that the 29 -year -old showed in training that could return to the level that saw him gain 37 limits in England between 2015 and 2019.
“(ALLI) is a magnificent child and an extraordinary player,” says Reina. “It was not easy. It was two years without playing. Everything needs time. But it is on the way back and it can be an important player again. To training, you can see that it is a different type of player who can do things that others cannot. Surely, he will return to being the player who was before.”
The strengthening of January of Como also included the expenditure at 40 million euros combined in the midfielder Maxence Caqueret from Lyon, the midfielder Anastasios Douvikas of Celta Vigo and the ASSANE DIAO ALA of Real Betis. The Fabregas team freed from the fall area with results including a 4-1 victory over Udinese in January and the 2-1 victory over Naples in February.
Roberto’s contribution was reduced by knee and calm injuries, but recently returned to fitness and left the bench in the 3-1 victory last week in Monza. They host Turin on Sunday afternoon (kingdom of the United Kingdom’s early 17:00 hour; 12:00 et).
“Our goal this year was to stay in Serie A and we are close to that time,” he says. “I am ambitious and I would like to end up in tenth place this season. We can reach that goal.”
Former young Madrid Paz shone with Como (Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)
While Como 1907 has been playing for almost 120 years, as the club’s name suggests, football is not the first thing that most people think about when the city is mentioned.
Lake Como was a magnet for rich and illustrious visitors for at least two millennia. Among those who have most recently appreciated its scenarios and the social scene are Brad Pitt, Madonna, Mick Jagger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. Fabregas himself knew for the first time Como to stay at his hotel in Lago € 1,000 per night.
The Como stadium 13.602 capacity Giuseppe Sinigaglia is also for water, or “only a stone shot from the villa of George Clooney”, as the club’s website says. Visitors of Como Games in recent seasons have included Kate Beckinsale, Hugh Grant, Andrew Garfield, Welter Welter UFC Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson, Claudio Gentile, Jamie Vardy and Uk Raper Aitch and Kretpt and Konan.
“When the actors and singers come to see the game, we can’t really talk to them,” says Roberto. “But we are pleased that so many people want to see the team. The location is incredible, the lake is so beautiful. If you enjoy the game, they see good football, then everything is perfect.”
Football royalty is also involved in Como. The former Arsenal Thierry Henry star is another stakeholder in the club. Reina claims that she has not yet spoken to Henry and the goalkeeper is not yet sure if it will continue next year, but has no doubts about the ambition of the project.
“The foundations started with Thierry, Cesc, Dennis; players with a lot of experience who saw something in Como,” says Reina. “And time has shown to be corrected. Look at the transfers market in January: you can see the ambition here is maximum. Three or four additions in different positions would strengthen this summer again. We want to improve every year and in the near future it will fight near the top, qualify for Europe and would put the name of Como on the map (football).”
Out of the field, Como owners are also investing, with a modernization of the training ground completed last year, a modernization of the stadium and an expansion due for completion by 2028 and also a new youth academy.
“Standing this season is really important,” says Sergi Roberto. “Being in Serie A creates the base for this project. We have young players with ambition, full of hunger to eat the world, together with us old expert heads.
“Mr. also has a huge ambition and also the hierarchy of the club. We are all on the road to continue improving, continue climbing, so that everyone speak of Como.”
(Photo above: Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)
