Following his exit from Manchester United, former France international defender Raphael Varane has officially signed for Serie A club Como. This transfer will come as a surprise to many, with users of vegasbetting.com and other sites unlikely to have predicted such a bombshell move.
This marks an exciting new chapter in his career. The Frenchman's transfer to Como is part of an intriguing project being led by former Arsenal and Barcelona star Cesc Fabregas, who was promoted to manager of the club some weeks ago.
Varane left Old Trafford as a free agent at the end of last season when Manchester United decided not to trigger an extension on his contract.
His departure was one of several significant changes at the club this summer, with co-owners Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS revamping the club's staff structure and bringing in new stars Leny Yoro and Joshua Zirkzee for a combined £88.5million so far.
The 2018 World Cup winner expressed excitement about his move to Italy, hailing Como’s special project as something he is eager to be part of.
New Como defender, Raphael Varane, said:
"At first, I was curious to find out what the project was all about, and 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. I'm very happy. There's a lot to do, and it's very exciting. 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."
Premier League and World Cup-winning great Cesc Fabregas was recently announced as the club's new manager following their promotion back to Italian top-flight football last campaign. He spent last season as an assistant to Osian Roberts, who has now moved into a boardroom role.
However, many experts believed Fabregas to be pulling the strings from the bench, and Roberts merely a figurehead manager with the Spaniard unable to officially manage the side because he did not have the requisite UEFA licenses last season.
He is now free to take control of the team publicly and this move for Varane is just one of many he is expected to make throughout the summer.
Fabregas’ appointment came after more than two decades outside Serie A for Como. The team won promotion by securing an automatic place on the final day of last season - marking their triumphant return to Italy’s premier football league. There is a real buzz and excitement in the region as fans anticipate seeing top-flight football once again.
