Fabregas shuts down Como exit talk: 'If I start thinking about leaving, it could be the end for me here'
Cesc Fabregas has insisted he has never thought about walking away from Como, even as speculation continues to swirl about who might eventually take his job at the ambitious Serie A club.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday's visit of Alberto Aquilani's Sassuolo — just three days after Como thrashed Manchester United 4-1 in the Champions League — the Spaniard was asked whether Aquilani could one day succeed him.
"I've never thought about leaving. If I started thinking about it, maybe that would be the end for me here, but I've never done it," Fabregas said, in quotes reported via TuttoMercatoWeb.
"I can certainly say positive things about him. His football is very similar in terms of ideas. You're making me think about it now, but I'm very relaxed about his career and what he'll go on to do."
The question followed recent public praise for Aquilani from Como president Mirwan Suwarso, with Fabregas himself having been linked to several major jobs — Inter and Bayer Leverkusen among them in 2025 — since leading Como to promotion and into the Champions League. He stayed put on each occasion.
A mutual admiration with Aquilani
Fabregas and Aquilani first got to know each other in Serie B, when the Italian was in charge of Pisa, and the Como coach made clear the respect runs both ways.
"I really like Alberto as a coach, for his ideas and his courage, and for how his teams play football," Fabregas said.
"He called me last summer because he really wanted Rispoli at Catanzaro. Rispoli was the first player I ever had as a coach, so sending him to Alberto gave me complete peace of mind."
Como riding high into the weekend
Saturday's fixture at Como pits two coaches with strikingly similar footballing philosophies against one another, with Fabregas' side buoyed by a landmark result in Europe. Como's 4-1 dismantling of Manchester United came three days before the Sassuolo game and followed their Champions League debut, a 4-1 win over RB Leipzig, as well as a 3-1 Serie A victory away at Fiorentina in the days before the United tie.
The win over United was the first competitive meeting between the two clubs, and it also brought Fabregas face to face with Carrick as opposing managers for the first time.
Fabregas heads into the Sassuolo match with squad concerns, though: Como will be without Assane Diao and Moise Kean, while Martin Liberali is also unlikely to feature because of a minor problem. Fabregas said Kean could return on Tuesday, but could not guarantee it.