Thierry Henry has joined up with former Arsenal team-mate Cesc Fabregas to become the latest minority owner of Serie B side Como.
The 45-year-old will be officially unveiled as a shareholder at a press conference on the lake this afternoon ahead of their third game of the season, against Brescia, when Fabregas could make his debut off the substitutes’ bench. Henry briefly played in Italy, for Juventus before moving to north London in 1999, and said that he was drawn to Como because of the club's community values.
The profits from their new shirt will be invested in the local community, to fight unemployment and health issues; there are plans for all suppliers to be local businesses in the next couple of years; and significant investment is promised to improve facilities.
Como are owned by the Indonesian Djarum Group. They purchased the club four years ago in an auction, after the previous owners went bankrupt, with the intention to create a pathway for young Indonesian players - only to realise Italian rules blocked non-EU players from being registered.
Instead the team has climbed two divisions, with former Chelsea midfielder Dennis Wise brought in as chief executive, and they now have designs on reaching Serie A by 2025.
That ambition will be helped further by Italy international Patrick Cutrone completing a transfer from Wolves this morning - registered in sufficient time to be a part of tonight's squad. The club are also working to bring in a new goalkeeper.
“It’s my great pleasure to announce that I will be joining Como 1907 as a shareholder,” Henry said. “I have been waiting to get involved in a project like Como for a long time. A club with ambition but most importantly one that holds the same values as me - that the club and its local community both need to thrive.
“For me, a football club is nothing without its local community. Yet so many times you see commercial objectives overtake and break that special connection and the heart of the club is lost. When I spoke to the team here and they told me about the community initiatives already in place and the ambition to ensure that as the club prospers so does the community, I knew this was the perfect opportunity for me.”
Wise added of Henry’s arrival: “After explaining our vision of where we want to be as a club being part of the community and our ambition to get to Serie A, Thierry has decided to join our journey. We look forward to seeing him in Como.”
