Como FC Recruitment Analysis
As recently as the 2018/19 campaign, Como 1907 were playing in Serie D – in the 24/25 season, they’ll be rubbing shoulders with the likes of Inter Milan and Juventus in Serie A.
Their meteoric rise has caught the attention of football fans around the globe for reasons other than their quick journey through the divisions – the beauty and location of their stadium is one reason, but there are some high-profile names involved behind the scenes at Como.
Arsenal legend Thierry Henry is one of the club’s investors, while Chelsea icon Dennis Wise is the club’s CEO.
The stardom doesn’t stop there either, with Henry’s former teammate Cesc Fabregas being the club’s head coach.
Como FC was the final team Fabregas would play for after a dazzling career, and following his retirement, he was swiftly appointed as the head coach of the club’s B team in July 2023.
Shortly after, he was asked to run the first team on an interim basis before taking up the role of assistant head coach to new caretaker coach Osian Roberts.
Despite the constant change and chaos in the opening months of the season, the pair guided Como to promotion – this season will be the club’s first in Serie A in 21 years.
Following Roberts’ exit at the end of the season, Fabregas was appointed first-team head coach.
Como FC and Fabregas have wasted little time in assembling their squad for the upcoming campaign, with Como already making 10 first-team signings, with some high-profile names joining the ranks.
Four of those signings are players that were on loan with Como and featured for them last season and impressed the club enough to make the move permanent.
Those four were Marco Curto, Ben Lhassine Kone, Matthias Braunöder, and Gabirel Strefezza.
In this Como FC recruitment analysis, we will take a look at the data of each of the six other signings, looking at how they may fit into Como’s tactics.
Pepe Reina Analysis
Yes, it is *that* Pepe Reina!
At the age of 41, the former Liverpool shot-stopper has joined Fabregas’ project after departing Villereal, where he made just two appearances in La Liga in the 23/24 season.
In fairness, he can probably expect to play a similar backup role in the Como squad – his vast experience on the training pitch and in the changing room will be a big reason for Como securing his services, too.
As mentioned, Reina had a quiet season in 23/24 in terms of first-team football, so we’ve taken his data from the season prior, where he was a more present figure between the sticks for Villarreal, making 22 La Liga appearances.
FC Como’s number one keeper last season was Adrian Šemper, and it is a fair bet that he retains that title for the upcoming season, so we’re looking at what Reina could offer that the Croatian perhaps doesn’t; according to the above percentile chart at least.
Šemper offers a more rounded skillet that includes more long balls and progressive passes, while he is also offers a higher engagement when it comes to aerial duels.
Reina does offer a strong reliability in general possession – that composure could be a useful trait throughout the season.
Alberto Moreno Analysis
Another Spaniard who donned the Liverpool badge once upon a time, left-back Alberto Moreno, comes to Como having featured in 27 La Liga appearances.
He could be a very good addition to the squad for the upcoming season.
While Nikolas Ioannou did feature at left-back for 1011 minutes last season for Como, Marco Sala was the club’s primary left-back (1876 minutes at LB), so we’re comparing Moreno’s percentile output to his.
It may be harsh on Sala, but Fabregas could opt to have Moreno as his first-choice left-back this season—even if he ends up playing more of a rotation role, we know that Moreno can bring a certain level of intensity to their attacking plans.
When comparing the two’s performances last season, Sala offered a more creative output across various passing metrics, but as we can see from Moreno’s percentile rankings for statistics like shots, goal contributions, and touches in the box, the former Liverpool man could be a difference maker for Fabregas’ team in certain matches/scenarios.
Peter Kováčik Analysis
Strong recruitment has been the bedrock of this incredible Como story, and they could have found themselves a real gem at right-back.
Slovakian right-back Peter Kováčik arrives in Italy from Podbrezová – it is clear that part of the reason Como were keen on him was his experience as a wing-back in a back three/five, something we could see Fabregas adopt for certain fixtures/scenarios.
We noted that the left-back spot for Como last season had a good level of rotation, and there was a similar theme at right-back, too – 33-year-old Alessio Iovine played 1074 minutes at right-back last season.
Meanwhile, Tommaso Cassandro featured in that same position for 470 minutes (he is a versatile player who was tasked with playing in other positions as well).
While Fabregas could lean on the experience and existing trust he has in Iovine at right-back at the start of the season, Kováčik could quickly work his way into the starting lineup.
His skill set includes an array of passing qualities, as evidenced by promising percentile posts in several metrics—the type of player who looks to link up with midfielders and deliver the ball into the box.
It’s possible that Como sees Kováčik as a direct, long-term replacement for the ageing Iovine—their percentile graphs even suggest a similar profile of the player, a really good piece of scouting from their recruitment team.
To say Kováčik is an attacking full/wing-back would be something of an understatement.
At just 22 years of age, he is already showing extremely promising signs – six goals and nine assists in Slovakia’s top flight last season is an astonishing return, helping his team finish fifth.
Como will hope for a continuation in that regard while being cautious of being left overexposed on that flank when it comes to transitions.
Alberto Dossena Analysis
Central defender Alberto Dossena arrives at Como for a fee of £6.7m, meaning he is the club’s record signing.
He joins from fellow Serie A club Cagliari, where he made 35 league appearances last season, with the club narrowly avoiding relegation.
The 6’2” defender is expected to be a key figure in Como’s campaign – the price tag is a bit of a giveaway there!
While Dossena is right-footed naturally, he is more than comfortable at LCB – in fact, he played most of his football there last season.
Cas Odenthal was one of Como’s primary LCBs last season; we’re comparing Dossena’s statistics to his.
As you can see, Dossena offers a strong defensive presence when it comes to ground and aerial duels – that kind of commanding power could be extremely effective for Como this season.
He also likes to carry the ball forward where possible and has displayed the ability to make line-breaking passes.
Raphaël Varane Analysis
One of the most surprising and impressive transfers of this window so far is Como’s capture of 2018 FIFA World Cup winner Raphaël Varane.
Once regarded as one of the best centre-backs in world football, Varane’s time at Manchester United didn’t exactly go to plan, but don’t let that trick you into thinking the former Real Madrid man is past it.
While this transfer has not been officially announced by the club (at the time of writing), it has been widely reported that the announcement is imminent, with several trustworthy journalists breaking the news – Fabrizio Romano is just one of them.
Como’s go-to RCB last season was the experienced Edoardo Goldaniga, but it’s hard to see him beat Varane to a starting spot.
In the Premier League last season, Varane had low engagements for ground and aerial duels but posted high percentiles for success rates for both – that kind of consistency and reliability, paired with the qualities brought to the backline by Dossena, could make Como a difficult team to beat this season.
Andrea Belotti Analysis
You may remember the name Patrick Cutrone from his days at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Well, he’s just wrapped up a very productive season in Serie B for Como, contributing 14 goals and four assists in a promotion-winning campaign.
He now has some serious competition in the attacking ranks, with Torino legend Andrea Belotti joining the club for a reported £3.8m from Roma.
Last season wasn’t Belotti’s best – three goals in 14 league appearances for Roma, along with three goals in 15 appearances during a loan spell at Fiorentina, but this is still a coup of a signing for Como. Belotti’s presence brings a different kind of striker – that kind of adaptability and versatility within the attacking unit will allow Como to try different attacking tactics to suit certain scenarios.
Not only a goalscorer, Belotti has a knack for being an important cog in the build-up phase while also being extremely effective in the air.
This graph shows just how strong he is when it comes to aerial duels. Even last season, which wasn’t his best in front of goal, his key traits were ever-present, ranking as one of the best CFs in Serie A regarding engagement and success in the air.
In fact, with the arrival of Kováčik at right-back, a highly attacking wing-back who loves an assist, we could see a special partnership between Kováčik and Belotti.
Conclusion
Como FC have conducted their transfer business early, showcasing their scouting prowess in doing so, as this analysis has highlighted.
Credit must also go to the team behind the scenes for securing some high-calibre players, while the signings of the likes of Dossena and Kováčik could be masterstrokes come the end of the season.
Another noteworthy element of Como’s recruitment is that they signed four players who were on loan at the club last season – that’s four players they sought out, loaned in for a reason, and saw enough to make the deal permanent: a sign of strong a recruitment drive.
It seems many neutrals are rooting for Como to beat the drop this season and establish themselves in Serie A, and with the signings they’ve made so far, there is absolutely no reason not to be confident in that aspiration.
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