Expert insight from Italy
©TM/IMAGO
From the placid banks of Lake Como to the fierce battlefield of Serie A, the rise of Northern Italian club Como 1907 has been as picturesque as it has been remarkable. Once languishing in the lower tiers of Italian football, the historic club now finds itself in a second consecutive season in the Italian top flight, and this term, they are flying so far. Led by former Barcelona, Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fàbregas, they currently sit sixth in the Serie A table after beating Juventus 2-0 last weekend. Backed by ambitious ownership and driven by a clear footballing identity, Como have made waves not just for their scenic setting, but for their serious intent in climbing the ladder of Italian football.
Under Fàbregas, the club has embraced a modern, possession-based style, which earned them a 10th place finish in Serie A last term. It was their first season in the top-flight since 2003, and their best Serie A league position since the 1980s. But the club’s ambition doesn’t stop there. It was a hugely busy summer transfer window. High-profile reinforcements arrived in masses, as Como looked to strengthen key areas whilst staying true to the footballing philosophy that got them this far. With expert insight from our team in Italy, Transfermarkt takes a closer look at the club’s recent evolution, their summer recruitment strategy, and how Fàbregas is emerging as one of the brightest young managers in the game.
What’s the secret behind Como’s rise & can they challenge Serie A elite?
We should start by clarifying that whilst spending money is no pre-requisite to success, Como’s emergence hasn’t been a pure fairytale and the clubs have invested heavily in the squad. As illustrated in the graphic below, only four Serie A clubs spent more than Como this summer, and no side had a higher net spend. Stefano Buonfino is one of Transfermarkt’s Content Managers in Italy and reveals more about Como’s success: “Given the investments made over the summer, Como is not a surprise to me. That doesn’t take away from the fact that they are doing very well with a very young and talented team.”
However, creating an environment in which players have the freedom to express themselves without the fear of failure has also been instrumental to Como’s rise, as Buonfino explains, “Patience is their secret; they haven’t put pressure on the coach or their young players and are letting them grow in peace.” Como currently have 12 points from their first seven league games and are just four points adrift of league-leaders AC Milan. But can Como really properly challenge Italian’s footballing giants? “I don’t think so,” admits Buonfino. “The president of Como himself said that it will be difficult to make a real climb to the top. Como is a very small city and to be attractive to players it needs something else, such as Lake Como, which is famous as a destination for celebrities. But that’s not enough. They have financial limitations, both because their income is limited and because of FFP (Financial Fair Play).”
One of the club’s shrewdest investments looks to be the signing of youngster Nico Paz. The Argentinian was brought in from Real Madrid for just €6 million in 2024 and has emerged a s supreme talent. Unfortunately for Como, the LaLiga side have a buy-back clause. This summer Madrid decided against activating an €8m buy-back clause for Paz, but they retain a €9m clause for 2026 and a €10m clause for 2027. Madrid believe in Paz’s potential but think he needs time to develop, and can match an offer from any other club at any time. “Often with talented players, you have to preach calm, but with Nico Paz, I personally can’t do that,” utters an excited Buonfino. “For me, he’s already a player who can play for Real Madrid, the club he’s destined for. Seven games, four goals, four assists: Como has scored nine goals, eight of which were goals or assists by Paz. He’s not only Como’s best player, he’s in the Top 10 Serie A players.”
How good is manager Cesc Fàbregas?
Fàbregas officially took the reigns as Como manager at the start of last season after their promotion, having previously been involved in the club as a player and an assistant coach, although he was only technically not the head coach during their promotion campaign because he didn’t hold the correct licenses at that time. He has certainly impressed. During the summer he was linked with a number of big clubs including Bayer Leverkusen and Inter Milan, but declined all approaches. Speaking in a recent press conference, Fàbregas himself said, “I am very happy here and have been from the first day, I always told the club that and I am a very sincere person.”
However, if Como can have another successful campaign, other clubs will no doubt come sniffing for him again next summer. Buonfino explains more about the budding manager: “Fàbregas is a young coach with clear ideas. He is a partner at Como, so he is not only a coach, but he has also had the sight and luck to find himself at a club that welcomed him and waited for him.
“He plays an attacking game, with good patterns, focusing on building play and the creativity of his attacking players rather than on quick transitions. His team rarely gives the ball away but always tries to play it and find a useful move.” Whilst Fàbregas remains commited to Como for now, if he can continue his trajectory a job at one of Europe’s biggest clubs is surely only a matte of time. Asked if he sees him getting a big job in the future, Buonfino said, “Sure. He was wanted by Inter last summer, but he didn’t want to leave the Como project yet. Top clubs will come for him.” It seems likely that with any top job that comes up this season, Fàbregas’ name will be mentioned. But right now his focus is on sustaining Como’s sharp incline.
