Osian Roberts: Welshman eyes Italian top flight with Como
Osian Roberts had been out of football for nine months before an old friend got in touch.
Last month Roberts, 58, was appointed interim manager of Italian Serie B side Como 1907 until the end of the season, thanks in part to one of the greatest players in Premier League history.
“It’s no secret that Thierry Henry is one of the stakeholders at Como 1907,” said Roberts.
“It all derived from Thierry’s recommendation to the club.”
Anglesey-born Roberts added: “From there I spoke with the owners and things went pretty well. We decided this would be a great opportunity for both of us and I’m really looking forward to it.”
Roberts and Henry go back a long way.
Henry studied for his Pro Licence – the highest coaching qualification in football – under the guidance of the Football Association of Wales (FAW) at Dragon Park in Newport.
The course was run by Roberts, who was FAW technical director at the time.
“Thierry came on our courses, and following on from that we’ve kept our friendship and we’re constantly in touch,” Roberts told BBC Sport Wales.
“When they (Como) needed someone to fulfil this role I appreciated the fact that Thierry thought of me, and that means an awful lot.
“It gives me a great sense of pride and I’m looking forward to getting to grips with the role itself.”
Roberts’ most recent job was as assistant manager to another French football legend, Patrick Vieira, at Crystal Palace, before their time with the Premier League club came to an end in March 2023.
He had previously been part of Wales’ coaching team between 2010 and 2019. Roberts was Chris Coleman’s assistant when Wales qualified for Euro 2016 and reached a first semi-final in the country’s history.
Between his time with Wales and Crystal Palace, he spent two years working as technical director for the Royal Moroccan Football Federation.
Osian Roberts (left) spent 17 months as assistant coach to Patrick Vieira at Crystal Palace – finishing 12th in the Premier League during their first season in charge and reaching an FA Cup semi-final
“I always said that the next role had to excite me,” he added.
“When I spoke to Como 1907, from the first instance I felt those butterflies again, and therefore sometimes your gut instinct is your best instinct.
“I’m going to be a manager in my own right which is something I wanted to do. It appealed to me in many ways.
“The vision of the club is to get promoted to Serie A, be that this year or the following season. That comes with pressure, but that’s the reason why I want to be part of this. They have high expectations and they want to succeed.
“There’s good people working in the club and I had a positive vibe about what the role was about.”
‘A lot of work to be done’
Roberts will also work as head of development for Como. The club say he will focus exclusively on that role from the end of the 2023-2024 season, when they will appoint a new manager.
Como are currently third in Serie B, the Italian second tier, with the top two teams promoted automatically to Serie A at the end of the season.
Roberts’ first game in charge of Como will be against Spezia on Saturday, 13 January.
So what happens if he succeeds in guiding the club to promotion? Would he be tempted to carry on as manager on a full-time basis?
“In football you never know what’s going to happen in the future,” he said.
“My role is clear – I’m the manager until the end of the season. That’s the responsibility that I take on. I’ll do that to the best of my ability and see where we end up.
“There’s a wider role to build the club to be a Serie A club, so there’s a lot of work to be done.
“The next six months is crucial for us, and six months is a long time in football, so we’ll see when that time comes.”
Cesc Fabregas won 110 caps for Spain
Roberts will be assisted by former Arsenal, Chelsea and Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas, who has been in temporary charge of the team since November. He guided them to four wins in his seven games in charge.
The Spaniard played 17 times for Como last season before retiring from playing and becoming coach of their youth and reserve teams.
Like Henry, Fabregas is a shareholder of the club.
“Cesc has done very well in the short period he’s been looking after the first team,” said Roberts.
“Cesc was an outstanding player and is now working on his coaching qualifications, but he’s already a very good coach on the grass.
“It makes sense that he’s a driving member of the staff to make sure that we try and be the best we can be over the next few months. His experience and his knowledge of Italian football is going to be crucial.”
