Italian club Como could find their squad depth severely impacted for their inaugural Champions League campaign, with UEFA regulations potentially limiting them to just 16 or 17 players per match sheet. This unexpected challenge stems from a specific rule concerning the number of locally trained players within the team.
Making their historic debut in Europe’s most prestigious club competition, just two seasons after returning to Serie A, Como now faces a peculiar situation. Article 31 of UEFA’s regulations dictates that participating clubs can register only 17 non-locally trained players in their A-list squad, reserving the remaining eight spots for players developed within the country. This presents a significant hurdle for Cesc Fabregas, the club’s manager, who has largely focused on an international recruitment strategy.
Como’s infrastructure challenges
“We are bound by the player list limitations imposed by UEFA,” Fabregas highlighted in a late-July press conference. “As we don’t yet possess a youth academy capable of meeting certain requirements, we will find ourselves in the Champions League with a squad reduced to only 16 or 17 players… This underscores the necessity of developing our own talent, a process that demands time and cannot be achieved in merely two or three years.” This situation is somewhat ironic, given that the Lombardy-based club is among the top five Serie A teams with the youngest average age, standing at 26 years. Fabregas, who took the helm in November 2023, will now need to prioritize signing Italian-trained players in the transfer market.
A glimmer of hope?
This summer, Como has been active in the transfer market, securing five new players, but only one Italian: striker Mattia Liberali, who joined from Catanzaro for six million euros. While Fabregas’s staff may need to reassess their recruitment strategy before the transfer window closes, the club might find an alternative solution. The promotion of Como’s youth team to the first division could offer a lifeline for their Champions League aspirations. This promising generation includes talents already drawing attention from scouts, such as midfielder Riccardo Cassano, who excelled with the club’s U17 squad and was even integrated into Serie A travel rosters last season.
