Como 1907 return to Serie A with ambitious owners and familiar faces
It hasn't been totally straightforward for the club situated in Northern Italy. From the doldrums of Serie D and bankruptcy just five years ago to being co-owned by Indonesia's wealthiest family - the journey has been long and bumpy.
But after a summer of big-name arrivals by the ambitious owners on and off the pitch, there is hope that the only way is up from here.
No strangers to Serie A
Como 1907 had five consecutive seasons in Italy's top flight between 1984 and 1989. Before their financial struggles in the early 2000s, different generations of Como sides spent comfortable periods in Serie B vying for promotion to Serie A.
The beginning of their decline came during the 2002/03 season when Como's return to Serie A lasted just one season. It was a dismal campaign that saw them win four times and finish on just 24 points. Two more relegations followed and Como found themselves in Serie D.
In 2004 they were declared bankrupt.
The club was to be liquidated and forced to start again as a new entity ahead of the 2005/06 season, but their money problems didn't go away in the subsequent years. The club were declared out of business and put on auction during the 2016/17 season, and former Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien's wife purchased the club.
That would prove to be a short-lived ownership (including a name dispute gone badly wrong) as in 2019 after promotion to Serie C, the club was purchased by the Djarum Group, an Indonesian company owned by billionaires Robert Budi Hartano and Michael Bambang Hartano. The Djarum Group would give control of the club to another business they own - London-based media company SENT Entertainment.
That was the turning point in Como's story as almost overnight their fortunes were changed - dramatically so.
In this new era for supporters who had been used to seeing their club go from one financial disaster to another, suddenly hope for a better future arose.
Soon after taking control of the club, Michael Gandler from SENT Entertainment spoke in an interview about their ambitions to become a 'digital Ajax' - using their media skillset to create innovative content across their different platforms and develop the club commercially - domestically and globally. He also aspired to rival the youth academies of Italian giants Inter, Roma and Atalanta.
The idea was not to throw ridiculous amounts of money and quickly become a superpower like Manchester City. Gandler wanted to build a project over time with modern ideas whilst respecting the traditions and history of the club.
But that didn't mean he lacked ambition. A return to Serie A wasn't just a mere dream. Gandler spoke about the club creating a Serie A-like atmosphere - "that is until Como itself returns to Serie A."
What to expect from the returning Como
Fast forward five years and Gandler has realised his prophecy that Como 1907 would be a Serie A club again and there have been no signs of them resting on their laurels.
The club have appointed former assistant manager Cesc Fabregas as the new head coach and high-profile signings such as Raphael Varane, Pepe Reina, Andrea Belotti and Alberto Moreno have put Como at the centre of media attention.
They have acquired 14 players either on permanent deals or on loan in a productive summer window so far.
Whilst they have also signed a handful of lesser-known and younger players, the aforementioned names give them a mixture of experience and a vital winning mentality in one of Europe's most unforgiving leagues. The concern with such signings would be - are they able to stay fit and are they able to perform to the levels needed to survive in Serie A?
Can Belotti, for example, rediscover his goal-scoring form from Torino? Because without goals, the poacher offers little else. Whether Varane can stay fit will be another major concern only heightened by an injury on his debut as Como lost on penalties to Sampdoria in the Copa Italia first round.
However, the overall feeling around the club is one of positivity.
And when you combine the beautiful backdrop of Lake Como, shiny new toys, former legend co-owners Thierry Henry and Fabregas, and a club legend in Alessandro Gabrielloni still in the squad (he was scoring goals in Serie D not so long ago) - you have a recipe ready-made for Hollywood.
Como in 2024 are a club with A-list stars on and off the pitch but appear to be staying true to their core values.
Players like Gabrielloni still being a key part of the squad, the involvement of the local community, a new state-of-the-art training facility, and the return of a youth academy are all clear examples of their feet remaining firmly on the ground.
After all, Henry spoke in an interview with the Mirror after becoming a part-owner in 2022 about the importance of the community to the owners which convinced him to buy a minority stake in the club.
This is a club that appears to be making all the right moves whilst being in no rush to achieve the success they are confident will come with time. A modern, forward-thinking club with legendary ex-players and a community-centred core - what is not to love?
How they will fare in Serie A with a squad that still looks some way short of Italy's elite remains to be seen but it will be a fun journey to follow. And their quick rise over the last few seasons suggests they could well exceed expectations.
