Cesc Fabregas has made a promising start to his managerial career since hanging up his boots in 2023 - and is now being tipped as a potential future Arsenal manager.
The 38-year-old enjoyed a glittering playing career with Arsenal, Barcelona, Chelsea, Monaco, Como and Spain, winning virtually every trophy along the way...although the Champions League always eluded him.
Fabregas impressed in a one-month caretaker spell in charge of Como in 2023, but had to step away while he finished his coaching badges before returning to the post full time last summer.
Former Arsenal teammate touts Cesc Fabregas as Mikel Arteta replacement
In the meantime Fabregas had supported caretaker boss Osian Roberts in leading Como to promotion from Serie B. That completed an impressive rise up from Serie D, where they played as recently as 2019.
Como established themselves in the Italian top flight last season with an impressive 10th-place finish, and with their wealthy backers pumping yet more money into the club, Fabregas' side are hoping to go one better and move into European contention in the season ahead.
The only question is...how long will Fabregas remain at the club after impressing the football world with his modern possession-based style? And one former teammate believes it's only a matter of time before Fabregas makes the move to one of Europe's elite clubs.
Jeremie Aliadiere was teammates with Fabregas after both came through Arsenal's finishing school and graduated into the first-team, and he believes Fabregas' success so far in his managerial career was always a foregone conclusion.
Speaking to UK Riches, Aliadiere said: "Cesc Fabregas going into management didn’t surprise me at all, he’s got everything.
"Even in the way he played he showed that understanding of the game, he had that vision and could see things that other players couldn't see. He was so quick to read the game and just so calm.
"It’s no surprise that he has done well at Como and has interest from top clubs around Europe over the summer."
Aliadiere could even see the Spaniard stepping into the shoes of the man who replaced Fabregas in the Arsenal midfield back in 2011: current Gunners boss Mikel Arteta.
He explained: "It would be great to see him as Arsenal manager one day, Patrick Vieira was linked with the club but it didn’t happen, he would’ve been great as well.
"You love to see former players going back to manage the club, but sometimes things go in a different direction, you just have to wait for the right time and the right opportunity.”
