‘It was special’… Raphael Varane explains new club decision, he took weeks to be convinced

Add as preferred source on Google

When an ambitious, upwardly-mobile is club is trying to establish itself as one of the emerging destinations in European football, it helps when you can offer picture-perfect views tailor-made made for the postcards.

What Como 1907 lack in financial riches, the Serie A newcomers make up for in ambition and most certainly when it comes to the standard of living.

With it’s pastel-coloured lakefront and it’s baby blue water, you won’t find many destinations quite so easy on the eye.

Como’s Stadio Guiseppe Sinigaglia sits right on the dock of the bay, overlooking the region’s famously breathtaking lake.

And that is where Raphael Varane will be plying his trade in 2024/25, the former Manchester United defender opting not to chase the money in Saudi Arabia or take his talents to Turkey but instead sign up to one of the more intriguing projects in European football.

• READ MORE: Manchester United confirmed signings, transfers in, out, loan exits, releases for 2024/25

Raphael Varane swaps Manchester United for Como

Coached by ex-Arsenal, Barcelona and Spain playmaker Cesc Fabregas and presided over by the Hartono brothers – the richest owners in Italy – Como’s long-awaited Serie A return is not so much a fairytale story of success against the odds but the result of an enterprising structure and a clear desire to shatter the glass ceiling.

Carlalberto Ludi, Como’s sporting director, opens up to Sky Italia about the deal that brought one of the most decorated centre-halves of the 21st century to luscious Lombardy.

“It was definitely not easy to convince him,” Ludi says of Varane, who was also linked with a return to RC Lens.

“Just as it wasn’t easy to convince Fabregas to accept a project in Serie B.”

An FA Cup and EFL Cup winner under Erik ten Hag at Manchester United, Varane joins on a two-year deal with the option of a third.

“We succeeded thanks to the strength of a very solid ownership, to great planning. We are professional and serious and these things count,” Ludi adds, insisting that Como’s pulling power is not merely down to their blue skies and their even bluer lake.

“The talks (with Varane) went on for more than two or three weeks. He put us in pole position.”

Man United allowed Varane to leave alongside Anthony Martial in July when his contract expired.

Despite his enduring quality – the World Cup winner remains one of the best penalty-box defenders in Europe and shone during the FA Cup final triumph over Man City – Varane is 31 these days.

Ineos obviously felt that retaining a player with his injury record, and on his eye-watering wages, meant little sense both from a financial and a sporting perspective.

At Como, Varane now finds himself in a rather rarified position. For the first time since 2011, he heads into a new campaign neither with a league title or silverware of any kind the front of his mind.

World Cup winner excited about Serie A challenge

”I’m very happy and excited about this new project,” Varane told the Como website. “And I can’t wait to get started and meet up with the team and my team-mates. There’s also the physical preparation for the season to look forward to.

“At first, I was curious to find out what the project was all about. Then, I immediately saw that it was special, different from any other I’d been offered. So I wanted to know more. The more I learned about the project, the more interesting it became, giving me a different perspective on what I wanted to do.

“Once the project came along, it went straight to the top of the list, and we managed to close the deal.”

Varane is far from the only big name to sign on the dotted line.

Como have also brought in former Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina, ex-Inter Milan glovesman Emil Audero, one-time AC Milan starlet Patrick Cutrone and Italy international striker Andrea Belotti.

“I’m very happy. There’s a lot to do, and it’s very exciting,” adds Varane. “I have a lot of experience at the highest level, and now to be able to share that knowledge and help a club build itself up and hopefully reach the top is super exciting.

“I’m meeting Cesc again, but not as an opponent this time.

“I’m very happy, I really like his philosophy of play and his passion for football. When we spoke it was so easy to understand each other, so I hope we’ll have very positive results. In any case, I’m coming with a great deal of humility to help the team and the club grow.”