Former Chelsea Star Cesc Fabregas has been appointed as the manager of this shocking European giant this evening.

Few people see Cesc Fabregas strolling over the footpaths that encircle Lake Como. That is all part of the attraction, after all, as the wealthy and famous are well acquainted with the area.

The location has been utilized for filming several Hollywood productions, including James Bond and Star Wars, and boat cruises across the glittering river past the homes of Richard Branson and George Clooney.

A football great, who has won two European Championships and a World Cup, might thus relish anonymity in this ideal setting.

Fabregas isn’t, however, just taking it easy. Nothing at all like it. He coaches and has shares in the Italian team Como 1907, which also has interest from Thierry Henry, a former Arsenal teammate of Fabregas. And Fabregas is involved for reasons well beyond the location.

“I saw individuals who wanted to build this club, that wanted to do things the way that I always wanted to do them,” assistant manager Fabregas tells Telegraph Sport. “We could create almost from scratch because it was the beginning. That was intriguing. My last years of playing here allowed me to continue developing as a manager while doing what I love. That was what I was seeking for, a long-term project.

Cesc Fabregas with Como 1907/Cesc Fabregas enjoying a key role in the £1 billion effort to turn Como from a nobody to a giant
Cutting an energetic figure on the sidelines is Fabregas (right). Credit: Ciro De Luca/Reuters
With Como 1907/Cesc Fabregas has a key part in a £1 billion effort to turn Como from a minnow to a giant
The World Cup champion wants to see Como grow into a worldwide brand. Ciro De Luca/Reuters deserves credit.
Fabregas made the right choice joining the team two years ago, since promotion to Serie A is nearly certain.

With Milan half an hour away, 1907, more minnow than monster, has lost support to European giants Inter and AC, or so prospective players are informed.

Como have spent 13 seasons in the first division, the most recent in 2003, however they have mostly moved between the second and third divisions of Italy. Bankruptcy? They have had a couple. Loss of Position? Several too numerous to list.

2016–2017 wins the title by a hair from a shortlist of annus horribilis candidates. Out of business, out of professional football, into Serie D.

Following a brief time spent under the ownership of Akosua Puni Essien, the wife of former Chelsea footballer Michael, the tides changed in April 2019. Through their Djarum Group—an Indonesian conglomerate with holdings in tobacco, Bank Central Asia, and Mola, a streaming service and current club sponsor—the Hartono brothers bought the team.

We paid off our debts. Months later, there was another promotion, into Serie B, two seasons later. Four hundred gates have increased to a stable seven thousand, of whom around half have season tickets.

Driving Como ahead are British recruits
A few of names that are well known to those who watched English and Welsh football have contributed to success.

August 2022 saw Fabregas join as a player thanks in part to Dennis Wise, who was chief executive for a while and is now a consultant. It took weeks to validate Henry’s investment.

Fabregas started coaching the 1907 Primavera (Under-19) team after retiring last summer at the age of 36. When Moreno Longo left in November, Fabregas took over as head coach of the seniors for a month, which is the longest the Italian Football Federation allows before coaching badges are awarded.

Osian Roberts is the caretaker manager at the moment after joining in December as head of development. Roberts assisted Chris Coleman at the 2016 European Championship before working as a development assistant at Crystal Palace and with Morocco, the semi-finalists in the Qatar World Cup.

On game days, Roberts keeps an eye on the touchline while Fabregas lounges in the trench-like dugouts. He kicks every ball below, periodically jumping up to yell directions and, in exasperation, occasionally bashing both fists against the roof. Next season, he may play an even bigger part in Serie A.

Cesc Fabregas enjoying his crucial role in the £1 billion ambition to turn Como from minnows to giants at training with Como 1907
Even though he is an outstanding player, Fabregas is patient with his teammates. Credit: Como 1907
Ces Fabregas enjoying his part in the £1 billion scheme to turn Como from a minnow to a behemoth during practicing with the team in 1907.
Como’s team do maneuvers during training CREDIT: Como 1907
Fabregas has a young attitude even with the beard. The 16-year-old who chose passes others could never have imagined and made fools of Premier League veterans is hard to forget.

At Mozzate training facility in 1907, mid-drill, he stops. He gestures to two spectators on a bridge 200 yards distant, above enormous letters that say, “Non c’è sconfitta nel cuore di chi lotta” or “There is no defeat in the heart of those who battle”.

The same folks, he screams in English. Staff will eventually be able to determine from photographic evidence if they are competing spies or just ardent admirers.

Fabregas keeps working on his transition. We need to make this things automated. He switches between several languages with ease and his voice stays kind yet powerful.

One bad touch. Not a problem! Some great football players find it difficult to teach since their teammates are unable to do the things they were capable of. It doesn’t appear to be the situation here.

Playing style transformation by Fabregas
Colleagues have been pleased by his adaptability, and since he started coaching the first team, 1907’s offensive and possession statistics have increased dramatically—possibly predictably considering his background at Arsenal and Barcelona—but Fabregas maintains that no one method is superior to another. “You have to be prepared to touch every button at every time because football moves in many ways all the time,” he says.