Suwarso: ‘Fabregas has exceeded all expectations at Como’

BOLOGNA, ITALY - FEBRUARY 01: Mirwan Suwarso president of Como during the Serie A match between Bologna and Como at Stadio Renato Dall'Ara on February 01, 2025 in Bologna, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)

Como president Mirwan Suwarso says Cesc Fabregas has exceeded all expectations, crediting the Spaniard with giving the club the direction behind its rapid rise.

With quotes via TuttoMercatoWeb, Suwarso spoke at length to Cronache di Spogliatoio about Como’s model. “We don’t consider ourselves revolutionaries, and we don’t think we’re doing anything different from anyone else,” he said. “We’re simply doing things we’ve seen others do, perhaps in other countries or other sports. At the end of the day, it’s business and we have to be sustainable.”

Como have gone from Serie B to the Champions League in little more than two seasons. They thrashed RB Leipzig 4-1 on their debut in the competition, and won 3-1 at Fiorentina on Sunday ahead of Wednesday’s visit of Manchester United.

Suwarso: Fabregas gave Como a direction

“Fabregas has exceeded all our expectations. That’s why people think we built the roof first, but we always tried to build the foundations first, because you need a broad vision and a direction. Cesc brought us that,” Suwarso explained.

“When he was with the Primavera, it was clear to everyone how incredibly intelligent he was. He had a clear vision, and I felt that vision should guide us in the first team too.”

Fabregas also writes reports for the club’s owners before matches, a practice Suwarso believes should be more common in football. “I’m surprised it isn’t more widespread, because it’s quite normal in other companies and other sports,” he said. “It means we’re all on the same wavelength and can judge results more objectively.”

The president also set out an ambitious long-term goal for the club’s identity, despite Como’s squad being built largely on foreign signings.

“We are Italian more than anything else, and our aim is to develop as many young talents as possible for the national team. Step by step, we will build a team made up entirely of Italians, ideally all from Lombardy if we manage it, just like Athletic Club.”

He also praised the contribution of minority shareholders Thierry Henry and Raphaël Varane. “Henry has played a fundamental role in our growth,” Suwarso said, adding that Varane “has made an incredible contribution to the youth sector”.