Former Arsenal, Barcelona and Chelsea midfielder has been appointed head coach of Serie A new boys Como on a four-year contract, the club have announced.
The 37-year-old transitioned into coaching after finishing his playing career with Como last year, firstly taking charge of the club's Under-19s before a stint as caretaker manager of the senior team.
Fabregas took 10 points from a successful, albeit brief, spell in charge, overseeing three wins, one draw and one loss before spending the second half of the season as assistant to Osian Roberts.
Together, the pair helped Como achieve automatic promotion to the Italian top flight as Serie B runners-up behind champions Parma, ending the Blues' 21-year exile from the big time.
However, promotion-winning manager Roberts will instead move to a different role as the club's Head of Development, allowing Fabregas to step into the role on a full-time basis after completing his coaching badges.
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Fabregas "so happy" to be appointed Como boss
"I am so happy to be starting this season as head coach and I thank the ownership group for trusting me with this position," the 37-year-old told the official Como website.
"I share the ambitions of the group and believe this is just the start of where this club can go. It's going to be a tough and important season but myself and the rest of the coaching staff are ready and we all believe."
Fabregas has signed a long-term managerial contract with Como until the summer of 2028, and ownership group representative Mirwan Suwarso credited the Spaniard for helping 'evolve' the Blues' playing style.
"It's an honour for us to officially appoint Cesc as head coach. The impact of his knowledge, experience and passion is already evident in the success of last season and the evolution of our playing style," Suwarso added.
"We believe that this is just the start though and look forward to continuing working with Cesc this season and for many years to come. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Osh for the brilliant job he did last season as he steps into the role of player and coach development and a key architect for the future success of our club."
Player ➡️ Mister pic.twitter.com/gytJohSCmI
— Como1907 (@Como_1907) July 19, 2024
Fabregas reunites with compatriots at Como
The former midfielder now seeks to forge a successful coaching career after a glittering 19-year spell as a professional, where he won no fewer than 16 pieces of silverware for club and country, including one World Cup and two Euros titles with Spain.
Fabregas has reunited with two of his former Spain teammates at Como, as veteran goalkeeper Pepe Reina and former Liverpool left-back Alberto Moreno have both joined on free transfers.
The Blues are also thought to be closing in on the capture of ex-Manchester United and Real Madrid centre-back Raphael Varane, but the club have been at the centre of a racism scandal in recent days.
During a 1-0 friendly loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers, Hwang Hee-chan reported a racist remark from a Como defender about his Asian ethnicity, to which Daniel Podence responded by throwing a punch.
Como released a heavily criticised statement defending their player, who admitted that he referred to the Wolves attacker as "Jackie Chan" but claimed that the comment originated from Hwang's name and his teammates often calling him "Channy" on the pitch.
The Italian side subsequently concluded that the defender did not say anything "derogatory" and blasted "certain Wolves players" for blowing the incident "out of proportion".
Ben Knapton
