Former FC Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas is thriving in Italy as the manager of Como 1907.
After spending his final year as a player at the Italian club, the 38-year-old joined the coaching staff post-retirement in 2023, initially as an assistant manager, helping them earn promotion to Serie A.
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Fabregas was then made the manager from the 2024/25 season onwards, and he has done a brilliant job, establishing himself as one of the most promising young coaches in Europe.
Indeed, Como are contending for European football qualification for next season under the former Barcelona midfielder.
His accomplishments with the Serie A outfit earned him the Enzo Bearzot Award this past, a prestigious annual Italian football honour to recognise the best Italian coach of the season.
During the ceremony that took place on Monday, Fabregas was asked whether he saw himself as a candidate to replace Hansi Flick on the Barcelona bench.
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Laughing, Fabregas ended the discussion with a direct response: “He will renew his contract”.
Fabregas is doing an excellent job at Como. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)
His reply shut down any potential rumours and made it clear that, for now, his focus is 100% on his project in Italy.
Fabregas, still early in his managerial career, explained that his coaching philosophy is shaped by the elite managers he worked under as a player, while also mentioning the ‘Barcelona school’ as an influence on his ideologies.
“I’ve been very lucky to only have great coaches. I grew up in the Barcelona school and travelled a lot. I’ve taken a bit from all of them,” he said.
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As for his future, he firmly ruled out leaving anytime soon: “Will I stay at Como? I love this place. The project is very important. I had offers last year, but I chose to stay because I feel very comfortable with what I can build here.”
As Fabregas mentioned, Flick is indeed expected to renew his contract at Barcelona shortly, with negotiations already taking place over an extension.
The German tactician’s current contract runs until 2027 and he is expected to extend it by another year until 2028.
Source: SPORT
