Building from scratch

When Como 1907’s owners took over the club seven years ago, they inherited a side that was bankrupt and competing in Serie D.

Now, the Serie A side are preparing to make history.

Led by Head Coach Cesc Fàbregas, the Italian club will compete in the UEFA Champions League for the first time, completing a remarkable rise through the Italian football pyramid and establishing themselves among Europe’s elite.

For Mark-Jan Fledderus, Director of Football Strategy at Como, the foundations of that rise have been built on a clear approach to decision-making, efficient processes and a willingness to build the club from the ground up.

Fledderus’ role covers the mid- and long-term strategic decisions behind the club’s football operation, including how Como approach player recruitment and negotiations.

“Our advantage as a club is that we don't have a really big history,” Fledderus explained. “When the owners took over seven years ago, the club was bankrupt and was in Serie D. So they had to build everything from scratch.”

That has allowed Como to develop a lean structure, with short lines of communication and quick decision-making processes.

“And I think that's an advantage for us, and that's what we try to implement in the daily business,” he added.

The value of information

As Como’s ambitions have grown, so too has the importance of having access to the right information at the right time.

For Fledderus, timing is critical in the transfer market - but good timing depends on having the necessary information to make informed decisions.

TransferRoom has become an important part of that process, helping Como access information and connect directly with clubs across the global football network.

“For us, information is key to making the right decisions at the right moments,” he said. “Timing is everything, but to have good timing, you need to have the right information at the right moment, so it's really helpful.

“The advantage of working with this platform for us as a club is it's easier for us to build good relationships. 

“It's easier for us to get the right information at the right moments. It also helps making deals at the end.”

Building relationships in a growing game

Fledderus has been part of the TransferRoom journey almost from the beginning, attending one of the platform’s first-ever events as FC Groningen's Technical Director.

“I think I was in one of the first events of TransferRoom,” he recalled, speaking at TransferRoom LIVE: Amsterdam in March 2026.

“It was around 20, 25, 30 clubs, maybe. It was really easy to meet everybody in one day. Here [in Amsterdam], it's impossible, so the growth is amazing.”

That growth reflects the increasingly global nature of the football transfer market - but Fledderus believes that technology and digital connections should not replace the importance of meeting people face-to-face.

“People forget sometimes that building networks, making connections with people, meeting people face-to-face, and building relationships in that way is really, really important,” he said.

“TransferRoom is helping us a lot with this,” Fledderus added.

From Serie D to the Champions League

Como’s journey from bankruptcy and Serie D to finishing fourth in Serie A last season and qualifying for Champions League represents one of the most remarkable rises in European football in recent years.

For Fledderus, maintaining the principles that helped build the club in the first place will be just as important as navigating its new position at the top level of the game.

A small team, fast decision-making, strong relationships and access to the right information remain central to how Como operate.

And as the club prepares to take its place on Europe’s biggest stage, the importance of those foundations is only increasing.

“The advantage of working with this platform for us as a club is it's easier for us to build good relationships as we continue to grow,” Fledderus said.

Como’s rise has been built from the ground up and TransferRoom is helping the club build the connections and access the information needed for its next chapter.

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