Fabregas opens up on success at Como, move to Chelsea, playing with Messi and more

Cesc Fabregas is widely regarded as one of the most interesting young managers in Europe and it is easy to imagine that many of Europe’s top clubs will attempt to sign him in the near future, probably next summer. After his first full season in Serie A in charge of Como, where they finished in the top 10 of the table, Inter and Bayer Leverkusen attempted to sign the Spanish coach but both failed. Surprising? Not really. Not because they didn’t offer him what he wanted, but above all because he knows that in Como he can take all the necessary steps and that he has all the resources and confidence he needs. The best teams can wait.

The former Arsenal, Barcelona and Chelsea midfielder spoke to Kate Scott and was the latest guest on “Kickin’ It” on Paramount+, where he spoke about his experiences as a player and coach as well as what he hopes to achieve in the future. Fabregas spoke at length about how the game has changed in this new era.

“I understand that you have to take care of the players one hundred percent. There is a lot more information now than before, but you have to live in the moment and you don’t know what will happen in three years,” he said. “If I can play 70 matches this year, which I did for several seasons between national teams and again because before there was also the League Cup, the FA Cup, the Champions League, the Euro, the World Cup, everything existed there. Today, it’s true that the calendar is perhaps a little more congested with the Nations League and a few more matches here, but there were a lot of matches. So yes, that has changed. Maybe the intensity The game is faster now, but before it was more physical.

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On Messi and Arsenal

Speaking about his time at Barcelona, ​​where he grew up as a player before joining Arsenal, he also met a young Lionel Messi, who has just arrived from Argentina.

“I remember the first day he came because he sat right next to me and they told us there was this boy from Argentina who was doing a trial and he would be with us for a few weeks,” he said. “But yeah, he had an immediate impact because he didn’t say a word, he didn’t talk, he was super shy, he sat down. We were a good group, I have to say in that generation. And then, on the pitch, he started talking right away, very, very quickly. I always tell that story, there were one-on-one situations, and at the beginning of training, and I was pretty good at one-on-one defense at that age, after that, when I grew up, not so much, but when he played against me, you see a little boy, he was really very little.”

Also speaking about his years at Arsenal, Fabregas reflected on the moment he decided to return to the Premier League but joined Chelsea instead of his beloved team.

“At first, when I was going to leave, I thought, I’m going back to Arsenal. That was my thought and what I expected at that time. They had a week, Arsène Wenger had a week to respond, take the option or not, they never came back. They remained silent. So there was only one way and only one choice, and that was Chelsea and José Mourinho because he told me everything I needed to hear at this moment in my career and he made it happen The fans have been exceptional to me, exceptional, I couldn’t be more grateful We had a great connection straight away. But of course I’m very competitive and when I was captain of Arsenal you don’t like every club in London.

How Fabregas ended up in Como

After playing at the highest levels of elite football with Arsenal, Barcelona, ​​Chelsea and AS Monaco, during the 2022-23 season Fabregas moved to Italy and played for Como in his final season before retiring from professional football. Upon his arrival at Como, he also became a shareholder of the club alongside former Arsenal and Barcelona teammate Thierry Henry.

“I have to say that I am very grateful and lucky because a guy of his experience and me as a young manager, we have to remember that he was my coach in Monaco for two, three weeks, but he brought me to the club, so he was already my coach and I admire him as a player, also as a coach for what he has done too. And I am very lucky because when he comes, he comes to the training room, say four or five times, and of course, he talks to the players. He’s never really given a speech, which maybe I’d like him to do one day, but for me he’s constantly texting me before and after every game.”

After retiring, Fabregas immediately became manager of the Como under-23 team, a few months before taking the first team job, without any hesitation.

“I didn’t end my career the way I dreamed. Let’s put it this way, and I was so hungry. I was so convinced that I wanted to be a coach. I had everything in mind. I was already preparing for the last four years before I retired. I knew exactly what I wanted to do and when you are so excited about something and you have an opportunity immediately after finishing your career, I took it without knowing the demands of the job, you can have expectations.”

In his first season at Como as caretaker coach he achieved promotion to Serie A, and in his first full season in charge he finished in 10th place in the table with the newly promoted team, demonstrating not only a great level of football, but also the development of young players like Nico Paz, on loan from Real Madrid. Despite only coaching Como for less than two seasons, Fabregas immediately attracted interest from several clubs, such as German club Bayer Leverkusen who saw Fabregas as the perfect replacement for the club refused all kinds of approaches.

Como is owned by the Djarum Group, an Indonesian conglomerate led by brothers Robert Budi Hartono and Michael Bambang Hartono, who bought the club in 2019 with their London-based company, SENT Entertainment. The Hartono brothers have a combined net worth of around $48 billion, according to Forbes, and the club is managed by Mirwan Suwarso, who represents the club’s ownership.

Now, we expect to see Como clinch European places after an impressive summer of 2025 with their transfer activity.

“When in Europe? I hope soon. We will do our best. I am very careful with my players and my words because we are very, very young. There are a lot of ups and downs with young players, but we try to be consistent,” he said. “Now. We have completed, let’s say, a third of the championship. If we do the same third as we have done now in the next two, I am sure we will do it because we are [on pace for] 72 points. And I think that with 72 points, you make Europe, that’s for sure. But again, it’s all up to us and we have to keep going. We have to keep believing, we have to keep working. This is just the beginning. »