Over the years football has been littered with former players taking the step into management, and it is fair to say they have always had a mixed degree and level of success. Especially the considered great players who clearly, and understandably, can have problems relating to fellow professionals, who do just not share their own level of skill.
One thing stands out amongst former players though – those willing to graft and learn the trade, as opposed to those who think their playing career should give them a top job – and storied midfielder Cesc Fabregas is firmly in the first camp.
Having tasted success at Arsenal, Barcelona and Chelsea, his more limited time at Monaco saw the Spanish international make the move to Serie B side Como in 2022, and he signed a two year playing deal. He made 17 appearances for the side before deciding the time was right to hang up his professional boots, and quickly moved into coaching and dealing with their reserve and youth teams.
The 110 capped international has now stepped up further, and agreed to become Moreno Longo’s replacement in the managerial hotseat for the forthcoming future, and it is Fabregas’ first proper managerial role.
The club have already stated directly that they want ’embark on a new path that hopefully will provide more excitement and entertainment for the fans”.
Their official statement also added that Fabregas was merely an interim, or caretaker, appointment that would be rectified in the ‘near future.’
That may well be true, but it is a great opportunity for Fabregas to show his mettle, and what he would hope would be his future potential in a dug out that he could call his own. He more than has the smarts as a player given his professional career, can he be one of those who can push forward and prove the point, without falling into the trap so many ex players unfortunately do?
Time will tell and European fans who admired him on the pitch across a number of leagues will be watching on with a great amount of interest. One thing worth of a mention here, is when he joined Como, he became a joint shareholder alongside former team mate Thierry Henry who has managerial aspirations of his own, so even if Fabregas does not end up taking on the role full time, his involvement with the club will certainly not be at an end.
