Chelsea legends Dennis Wise, Cesc Fàbregas join forces at Como 1907 in Serie B

Two of Chelsea’s greatest ever midfielders — of massively contrasting styles — Dennis Wise and Cesc Fàbregas, have somehow both ended up at Lake Como in Italy, and not just because it’s one of he most gorgeous places on Planet Earth.

(Calling Fàbregas a “legend” may be a stretch, but he was insrumental to both of our last two Premier League title wins, so let’s just get on with it.)

Wise, who’s been a football executive since 2008, is currently the CEO of Como 1907, the (reborn) local side who signed a certain Cesc Fàbregas on a free transfer yesterday. And not only has Fàbregas, now 35, joined on a two-year contract, he’s also bought into the club as a shareholder. Owner-player, like former teammate Didier Drogba once was a Phoenix Rising in the USA!

“It is an honor and a pleasure to join Como 1907 [and] I am interested in staying here for the long term, not only on the pitch but also off the pitch. I believed in the vision of this Club from the beginning and I decided to invest personally to become part of it.

“I can’t wait to take the field and play in front of the fans in such a beautiful environment. The tradition of this club and the desire of the owners to take this club to the next level are a source of inspiration and for this I can’t wait to get started.”

-Cesc Fàbregas; source: Como 1907

Como, in their original guise, went bankrupt in 2004 and then again 2017 and were at one point, briefly, owned by Michael Essien’s wife, Akosua Puni Essien, before being acquired by the current owners, Indonesian tobacco company Djarum Group. They brought in Wise as a consultant in 2019 before naming him CEO in 2021, and evidently hope to get he club back to the top flight for the first time since 2002-03.

Fàbregas had spent the last three and a half years since leaving Chelsea halfway through the 2018-19 season at AS Monaco, but made only five apperances last season. He often pops up on social media to show the Blue some love.

Good luck to Mr. Magic Hat and Mr. Menace in their current adventures! Como finished 13th last season in Serie B.

Photo by Emilio Andreoli/Getty Images