Former Arsenal star Cesc Fabregas has recently discussed a lesson he learned from Arsene Wenger and details of his friendship with Thierry Henry.
Cesc Fabregas, Arsene Wenger, and Thierry Henry are all club icons at Arsenal. Wenger and Henry even have statues of themselves outside the Emirates Stadium.
At one point, all three were at the club at the same time. Wenger was at the helm when Fabregas arrived in north London in 2003, and the Spanish midfielder shared the dressing room with Henry until the French striker left the club in 2007.
Just as former Arsenal captain and midfielder Mikel Arteta is now in charge of the Gunners, Fabregas too has made the transition into coaching. Having ended his playing days at Italian club Como in the summer of 2023, the 36-year-old immediately took over the club’s ‘B’ team, before briefly taking charge of the first team on an interim basis.
He is currently a first-team coach at Como, as Welsh manager Osian Roberts is at the helm as caretaker manager of the Serie B outfit.
However, Fabregas has big plans for the club. With former Chelsea star Dennis Wise as president, and Fabregas being groomed for management, there is plenty of star power at Como currently working together to plot the club’s rise.
Cesc Fabregas opens up about Arsenal legends Arsene Wenger and Thierry Henry
All-time leading Arsenal goalscorer Henry is also invested in the club. In an interview with Sky Sports, Fabregas has now revealed that he enjoys a ‘special’ relationship with the former striker. The 110-cap former Spain international said, “I know I can speak to him any time. He is a role model for me. He made me a better player because every pass I gave him, he converted it into something special.”
Wenger is also a role model for Fabregas. The French manager showed plenty of faith in Fabregas in the early part of his career and played a big part in moulding him into one of the best midfielders in European football.
On the subject of his former boss, Fabregas said, “he told me when I was young that if you want to build a house you start with the foundations. You need a strong base to follow up the process and go to where you want to go.”
With the support of Henry, and the lessons learned under Wenger, Fabregas is now seeking to forge his own path in management, beginning with the initial target of guiding Como to the top flight of Italian football.
Beyond that, if he is successful at Como, a role back at Arsenal could be in Fabregas’ future.
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