‘It’s a mess’ – Top manager told he should avoid Chelsea ‘nightmare’

Emmanuel Petit has advised Cesc Fabregas to avoid the ‘mess’ that is Chelsea, telling the Como boss a return to Barcelona would ‘make the most sense’ for his career.

Fabregas is one of the many high-profile names being linked with the vacant position at Stamford Bridge following Liam Rosenior’s dismissal as head coach on Wednesday.

Rosenior was relieved of his duties after overseeing five straight league defeats without scoring a single goal, an unwanted piece of history which had not happened at Chelsea since as far back as 1917.

Under-21 coach Calum McFarlane has taken over the reins on an interim basis – just as he had done following Enzo Maresca’s departure – and the search is now underway for Rosenior’s permanent successor in west London.

Former Chelsea midfielder Fabregas, 38, has won himself plenty of admirers with his outstanding work in charge of Como, having led the side to promotion from the Italian second tier two years ago.

Como finished ninth on their return to Serie A last season – their highest finish since 1987 – and the club are on course to better that this term, sitting fifth in the table with five games remaining of the campaign.

Considering Como have never before competed in Europe, Champions League qualification would represent a remarkable achievement for Fabregas in what is only his second season as permanent manager.

However, Fabregas’ exploits are naturally beginning to attract the attentions of Europe’s elite, with his former clubs Barcelona and Chelsea among those tracking his progress.

Fabregas’ fellow countryman, Andoni Iraola, is currently the bookmakers’ favourite for the Chelsea job, though, with the 43-year-old set to leave his post at Bournemouth at the end of the season.

And according to Petit, Fabregas would be better off swerving the ‘nightmare’ that he would likely encounter at Chelsea, where the Catalan lifted two Premier League trophies as a player.

‘Cesc Fabregas to Chelsea? No, no, no. If you have to choose between Chelsea and Barcelona, definitely you go to Barcelona, not Chelsea. Chelsea is a mess. It’s a mess,’ Petit told Andy’s Bet Club.

‘It’s a nightmare for managers, it’s kind of a nightmare as well for the players, actually. You will find more serenity even if you will face a lot of pressure, at Barcelona.

‘But he’ll have the chance to be present in La Liga every single season to win the title over there, but as well you have the chance to compete at the highest level in the Champions League, too.

‘Fabregas going back to Barcelona would make sense. I think Spanish managers are probably the best actually on the market: Pep Guardiola, Unai Emery, Xabi Alonso, Luis Enrique, Fabregas.

‘Italian managers were among the best for a decade, after that it was Portuguese managers, and now it’s Spanish. Where are the French? I have no idea. We have very good players, but not so good managers. It’s kind of the same with England.’

Fabregas’ work at Como reminds Petit of Xabi Alonso’s extraordinary success with Bayer Leverkusen before his Real Madrid struggles.

‘I think Fabregas’ story is not over yet. Como has come from nowhere. Nobody knew about Como a couple of years ago. And now they are very close to playing in the Champions League next season,’ Petit continued.

‘If he has the chance to play in the Champions League next season with Como, that reminds me of Xabi Alonso when he left Bayern Leverkusen. He went to Real Madrid and his club was in the Champions League.

‘For me, the question is very easy to ask. If Fabregas thinks that he cannot take Como any further, maybe it’s time for him to leave the club and to go somewhere else.’

Given Fabregas’ history and deep-rooted affection for Barcelona, Petit can see a world in which the 2010 World Cup winner winds up in the Camp Nou dugout down the line.

‘What is the best location to go? It’s definitely Barcelona,’ the Frenchman – who played for both Chelsea and Barca – said.

‘He’s from this club. He knows the city, the club, the mentality, the DNA of the club very well. He’s got very good players at the club.

‘The way he has transformed Como, I think he knows exactly what kind of players you would add into the team to improve them, especially defensively.

‘When you have players like Lamine Yamal, who is one of so many good players in this team. So if I am Fabregas and my desire is to leave Como, I’ll go to Barcelona.’

When addressing the media, Fabregas has been keen to distance himself from speculation that he could be set for the exit door at Como in the summer.

At the annual Enzo Bearzot Award ceremony last week, the ex-Spain international insisted he remained fully committed to the Como project and not even considering the prospect of switching clubs.

‘I am very committed to this project. You never know, but right now I think it’s very unlikely I’ll leave Como,’ he explained.

‘Last year, I wanted to see how other clubs operated. I mentioned it to the president, but I decided to stay.

‘I’m very happy with what we’ve been able to achieve. This is an important project.

‘I need to feel good here. It’s important that my family is happy, and if they’re happy in Como, I’ll stay.’

Fabregas put pen to paper on a four-year deal when he was appointed permanent manager of Como, tying him to the club until 2028.

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