Como president Suwarso: ‘We want to recruit like Brentford and Brighton and become like Barcelona’
Como president Mirwan Suwarso says the club want to play like Barcelona while recruiting like Brighton and Brentford, as their rise continues on two fronts.
Suwarso was speaking to TNT Sports commentator Adam Summerton in an exclusive interview. It came days after Como’s record-breaking 9-1 win over Lens, the biggest win by an Italian side in Champions League history.
“If you’re talking about recruitment, obviously Brighton and Brentford have become the model everybody looks at,” Suwarso said. “But we start from the DNA. What is our football? How do we want to play? So that it remains to be as such, even long after many changes in coaching positions.
“In terms of football DNA, we want to become like Barcelona. We want to have that focus on wanting to have the ball, high pressing, possession, which is attractive football. At the same time, we’re trying to find undervalued players we can fit into the unit using the same models as Brighton or Brentford have done.”
Como president Suwarso: ‘Nothing stays at the top forever’
The Hartono brothers bought Como in Serie D seven years ago. Cesc Fabregas arrived as a player in 2022 and has since taken them into the Champions League as coach.
Fabregas’ side are fourth in Serie A on 23 points. They can move above Inter, the reigning champions, with a win at San Siro on Sunday, which kicks off at 18:00 CET [17:00 GMT].
Suwarso believes Serie A can close the gap to the Premier League. “Time. I think we need time,” he said. “I do believe every product, just like every economy, is cyclical. The Premier League may be at the top right now, but Serie A was as well. Nothing stays at the top forever, and even as we speak, the comparison of Serie A from last year to this year is almost night and day.
“The teams are becoming more attacking. So many young players, so many exciting, offensive players, without anyone probably doing it on purpose.”
He also revealed Como are now selling their expertise to other clubs. “The ideas that work, we are now starting to export them to offer them as services or as products to other clubs, because the revenue from one club is limited,” he explained. “Right now we’re working with 27 clubs. The revenue becomes scalable.”
Suwarso also hit back at critics of the project, insisting Italian football is more collaborative than it looks. “I think in Italy, what makes it to the media is not a true reflection of the reality,” he said. “The reality is actually very collaborative, and we are all trying to grow because we all have the same goal.”
