Cesc Fabregas has gone from a decorated player to one of the most closely watched young coaches in European football, and Como's rise has put his name into a much bigger conversation. After joining Como in 2022, Fabregas helped oversee a rapid climb that ended with Champions League qualification in 2025-26, following a 4-1 win at Cremonese on the final day of the Serie A season.
The timeline is striking. Como were bought by the Djarum Group in 2019, then rebuilt with the financial backing that came with that move. Fabregas arrived in 2022 as both a player and a shareholder, but his role soon expanded beyond the pitch. As Carlalberto Ludi described it, he became "an even better coach," a sign of how quickly his influence grew inside the club.
What changed at Como
Fabregas has been open about the scale of the rebuild. He called it "a fresh start" and "a new project," adding that he was practically given the keys to the football side of things. He also made clear how little was in place when the work began: "and there was practically nothing when we started." That included basic infrastructure, with Fabregas saying, "we didn't have a training ground" and recalling that they "would have to do massages on tables in the back room of a bar!"
That context matters because it explains why Como's progress has drawn so much attention. The club's rise is tied not only to Fabregas, but also to the wider structure around him. Mirwan Suwarso said he discovered the club by chance while looking at Milan venues for a football documentary, while Dennis Wise also played an important role in Como's progress. Fabregas himself had already known the area, having previously visited Como for its lake before joining the club.
Why Manchester United are being linked
Fabregas' transformation at Como has naturally led to speculation about bigger jobs, including Manchester United. That connection is driven less by rumor alone and more by the pace of his development. He has taken a club that was in Serie B and turned it into a Champions League side in less than three years, all while handling the demands of a major rebuild. In a job that often rewards clear vision and strong leadership, that profile will always attract attention.
For now, Como remain the story. But Fabregas has already shown how quickly a project can change under him, and his words after the final-day achievement captured the scale of it best: "Now, we are in the Champions League!"
