The full-time whistle at Stadio Sinigaglia to signal the end of Como’s clash with Genoa, brought with it an outpouring of emotion. Each player joined a huddle on the pitch, with head coach Cesc Fabregas at the very centre of it, leading the chants to mark the moment. The 1-0 victory, courtesy of Gabriel Strefezza’s second-half strike, had made Serie A safety a mathematical certainty for the newcomers.

With four matches of the season still to play, and off the back of a fourth victory in a row, the Lariani had achieved their main objective for the campaign, and with plenty room to spare. There is now an opportunity to push for a top-half finish after a 1-0 win over Parma made it five wins in five.

It was a goal which, at points, appeared precarious. But efforts on and off the pitch have helped the club lay the foundations for their ambitious vision for the future. Here, Destination Calcio takes a look at the key factors behind the transformation from underdogs to Serie A pedigree.

The Fabregas Effect

There is no getting away from the impact Fabregas has had as head coach at Como. While his presence has helped raise the profile of the club, his tireless work on and off the pitch has been key to navigating the step up from Serie B.

Speaking to Destination Calcio in November, the 38-year-old was quick to address the fact his side now needed to operate on an entirely different level to the one that earned promotion from Serie B as runners-up.

For Fabregas that step up manifested itself in the form of early starts and late evenings at the Mozzate training centre, working to ensure his players and staff were all on the same wavelength when it came to his vision of how to play. Development on the training pitch would be followed by hours-long discussions in the canteen with staff, before those conversations were actioned amid the laptops and whiteboards of his office – a large room on the top floor at the back of the newly-constructed centre.

This meticulous planning took a while to bear fruit. To begin with there were plenty of plaudits for the type of football Fabregas was encouraging his side to play, but not many points

Plenty of plaudits, but not many points meant Como were still in the relegation zone at the end of November after picking up just three points in eight matches. That sequence had started with defeat by Napoli away from home, a game where Fabregas shut down praise from national journalists in the press conference after the game. His mood improved little on the flight back to Lombardy, sitting in silence as he took the defeat to heart – the former midfielder acknowledges he has always been his own harshest critic.

While the short term has been of huge importance this year, Fabregas has had an eye on the long term too, working with the club’s data and analytics team to instil a style and philosophy that is ingrained into every player – from the first team to the youth teams. It is this kind of input that makes the overtures of more established clubs in Italy’s top flight seem futile for now.

Fabregas also puts a huge emphasis on his continuous desire to learn, and there have been lessons picked up along the way this season. The Spaniard has come unstuck on the disciplinary front a couple of times after being sent off for protests against Napoli and Milan while on the touchline.

That passion, though, has been channeled in other manners to help his team – most notably his fiery address to his players on the pitch after their defeat by Atalanta that went viral after being shared by the club.

He then posted to Instagram after survival was essentially secured away at Lecce, stating: “We are extremely proud of what we achieved together this season. Salvation in Serie A was the goal from the beginning, and despite the ups and downs, we stayed true to our identity, our message and our playing style, even when many doubted us.

“What makes me proud isn’t just what we’ve achieved, but HOW we’re doing it, always true to our principles, our ideas and the way we play. This is what truly defines this team.”

It is in these moments where his leadership qualities have been on full display, and why Fabregas, and the club, insist “this is only the beginning”.

Transfer Window Wins

While Fabregas’s installation as head coach was a huge statement in the summer, an overhaul in the changing room was also a serious declaration of intent at Como.

The pre-season window saw 16 new arrivals, with a mix of international experience and exciting young talent added to make the club as competitive as possible for its first season in Serie A since 2003.

No arrival was more important than that of Nico Paz, the Real Madrid midfielder signed on a permanent deal. For much of the first half of the season, Como’s ability to penetrate defences largely came through the Argentine’s vision.

While Paz’s arrival presented a largely unknown gem to Serie A viewers, Como were not shy in trying to bring in recognised faces either. Raphael Varane was meant to be the cornerstone of their defence, before injury cruelly curtailed his Como career in his debut against Sampdoria.

That did not deter them in pursuing established stars in January, however, and a real desire to attract the top names led to Marcus Rashford being discussed during the winter window.

However, with a limit on their non-EU quota to think on, the club decided to focus instead on Dele Alli, the England international joining on a free transfer having been without a club since the summer. After initially impressing in training – some technicians were convinced monitoring equipment was broken such was his output – the 29-year-old has had a big impact on and off the pitch. Taking up a mentoring role with younger players, he has also set his own personal targets and has made no secret about his desire to return to the Three Lions set-up.  

Alongside Dele, other arrivals signalled a switch in gear for the Lariani, with Assane Diao another promising forward already attracting attention from bigger clubs following his impact by the lake. The 19-year-old has scored eight times in 15 Serie A games since arriving from Real Betis.

Maxence Caqueret and Jonathan Ikone were two additions though that really signalled a statement of intent. Caqueret, a 25-year-old midfielder, arrived from Lyon for a significant fee, while 27-year-old Ikone, long admired by Fabregas, joined on an initial loan with Serie A and international experience under his belt.

January, too, brought a shift up in gear in terms of wage structure, with Caqueret and Dele becoming the club’s top earners, according to Capology. The outlay on fees didn’t go unnoticed either across Europe, with Como the ninth-largest spenders on the continent during the window after parting with an estimated £40.8million.

Big Moments on the Pitch

A successful season requires moments to remember on the pitch and Como delivered those time and again for fans.

While supporters had to wait until late September for their first victory back in the top flight, it came in some style, with Fabregas’s men downing Europa League champions Atalanta on their own patch as they scored three times in 12 second-half minutes to secure a 3-2 win at the Gewiss Stadium. Other huge results have followed – not least an eye-catching 2-1 win over Antonio Conte’s Scudetto-chasing Napoli.

There was one fixture, though, that encapsulated the romanticsm of Como’s rise and their extraordrinary journey to Italy’s top flight.

Ahead of facing Roma on December 15, a concerning run of nine games without victory had sucked the team back into the relegation dogfight. Ninety cagey minutes had come and gone at the Stadio Sinigaglia with the deadock still to be broken and Claudio Ranieri’s side looking the more likely victors.

However, Como’s No 9 – Alessandro Gabrielloni had other ideas. The 30-year-old, who had been with the club since their Serie D days in 2018 and was enjoying his first season in the top flight, pounced at a corner in the third minute of stoppage time to put his side ahead, before laying on Paz four minutes later to seal an incredible 2-0 win.

In scoring, Gabrielloni became only the fifth player in history to score in each of Italy’s top four divisions for the same club.

Off-Field Acceleration

It hasn’t just been on the pitch where Como have been making huge strides this season.

The cogs are beginning to turn on the process of redeveloping Stadio Sinigaglia, their iconic but dated home.

In February, the club presented their initial concept for the project, which would see the ground turned into a 15,000-20,000 all-seater stadium. The hope is that the approval process is complete by May 2026, before work begins on a two-stage construction due to be completed by August 2028.

There has also been significant work carried out at the Mozzate training centre, with a desire to make it among the top facilities in the country. Visits paid to the likes of Manchester City to gain knowledge on their media facilities tells you this is a club with a desire to learn from the very best.  

Having said that, there are a lesson or two others will be taking from the Serie A club’s approach to hospitality this campiagn.

Clubs across the globe will have watched on in envy at the array of stardust on show at the Sinigaglia week in, week out. Como have hosted everyone from Hollywood royalty to sporting icons and more this season, with Keira Knightley, Michael Fassbender and Pierre Gasly among those to have enjoyed the VIP experience inside the trophy room on game day.