Marc Oliver Kempf has been playing for Como since the end of August, promoted series of series A. In the Sport1 interview, the 30-year-old talks about life in the Lombard city, his coach CESC Fàbregas and his ex-club Hertha BSC.
Coach CESC Fàbregas drummed up no less than 20 new additions last summer to prepare promoters Como, who was still playing in the fourth division in 2017, for series A. One of them was Marc Oliver Kempf. The 30-year-old moved from Hertha BSC to the Lombardy city at the end of August and immediately established himself as a regular player.
The club is heading for safe relegation in the current season, but Kempf confirms that it will go even higher in the future. At some point the club, where Thierry Henry also bought a small share, wants to play at the top of Serie A. The defender gives Sport1 his first interview since moving to Italy and talks about the perspectives of the project and the collaboration with Fàbregas.
Marc Oliver Kempf has been playing for Como since August 2024
Sport1: Mr. Kempf, what is it like to play football in the picturesque Como, in a city that is known as the playground of the beautiful and rich?
Kempf: It’s incredibly beautiful here. The city, people and especially the weather. With us, spring felt like it has long since started, we also had many sunny days in winter. It’s great – especially when you come from Berlin, where it is often a bit gray at the turn of the year. And if you know Como and have been here, you know exactly what the place and the lake have to offer.
Sport1: So it wasn’t difficult for them to switch to life in Italy?
Kempf: Because I am mostly only integrated into the club, it is linguistically okay. Everyone can English more or less well. The integration was not that difficult. But it’s always a bit adventurous outside. If you are looking for something, for example in the hardware store certain things like nails, it’s not that easy. On the other hand, it is also exciting and brings you further as a person.
Sport1: Now you are in 13th place as a promoted team and have even played 23 of the 29 league games. What is your intermediate conclusion?
Kempf: consistently positive. I can’t complain about anything. I came to Como at the end of August when the season was already running. Since my competitor in central defense immediately failed, I slipped directly into the starting eleven and luckily I performed well from the start. Of course, that helped me to integrate me into the team and in Italy.
Fàbregas “knows what is important”
Sport1: How did the change come about, did CESC Fàbregas call you personally?
Kempf: Shortly before the end of the transfer period in summer, I received the news from my consultant that Como was interested. A little later the coach called me, we held a ten to 15 minutes long to get a feeling for each other. It was about the sporting orientation, as he sees me and how I feel. He wanted to know what kind of guy I am and whether I fit into the team. Raphaël Varane was injured at the time. So they still needed someone in central defense. It was not yet clear that Raphaël even had to end his career.
Sport1: It must be a great honor to be called by Fàbregas because he is looking for a replacement for Varane, a four-time Champions League winner and world champion in 2018.
Kempf: Yes, that’s right and was really a fantastic feeling. Already last season, when Como was still playing in series B, you saw that Fàbregas and Thierry Henry are magnets for big names. What has been added to transfers in the past few months, with great boys who have made great careers, makes it much more attractive to be part of it yourself.
Sport1: Fàbregas is only 37 years old. What distinguishes him as a trainer?
Kempf: The combination of his understanding of football, its clear leadership and his relaxed manner. He played at the top international level for so many years and was under contract with the best clubs in Europe. He has already experienced every possible situation. He knows what matters, even in difficult locations. If he then grabs us and strikes a more serious tone, we players listen all the more precisely.
Fàbregas? “Already an incredible coach”
Sport1: Did Fàbregas do it better?
Kempf: When you see our team, you quickly notice: Fàbregas not only did me better, he made us all better and lifted a bit on a new level. For me he is already an incredible coach, although his coaching career has just started.
Sport1: Fàbregas on the sidelines, many old stars such as goalkeeper Pepe Reina or Sergi Roberto, young players like Nico Paz, shareholder Thierry Henry, the special geographical location – the club is very interesting. Does the Como project have a rosy future?
Kempf: I don’t want to whistle too big, but the goal of the club management is certainly to climb up to the top in Serie A. At the moment we are in 13th place in the first year after promotion, although we often lacked the game of the game and sometimes the killer instinct. But we were always competitive and always had the chance to score against the top teams. Just as the club’s philosophy is lived, you can feel that they want to go up and want to implement it with a good plan. You don’t have the feeling that money is being thrown out of the window. Here everything has a hand and foot. Everything is thought through three or four times before it is implemented.
Sport1: What have been your most beautiful experiences in Italy so far?
Kempf: For me it has been the overall time. If you know my career a bit, you know that the time in Berlin was not the easiest. Here in Italy it went from the first minute. I could not call any person in the club that I would say: Boah, he is really a strange guy. You do that very well, you generally feel really comfortable.
Sport1: Where is the attraction of Series A? Is Italy even a kind of longing for footballers?
Kempf: Well. Series A has an extreme charm. Everything is very, very close together. Of course, Inter and Napoli are at the top again this season, but the league overall is incredibly balanced. Everyone can beat anyone and with any little run, teams can make up a lot of soil. But it’s not just the sporty. It is also true here, the handling of the individual clubs is great. There is also the good weather and the general beauty of the country.
“Glad that attention is not as big as with Hummels”
Sport1: Do you also exchange ideas with other German players in Italy like Robin Gosens or Mats Hummels?
Kempf: Only with the boys with whom I used to play. With Suat Serdar, for example, who switched to Hellas Verona last summer, I meet with him from time to time. But I have no contact with people to whom I had no contact before.
Kempf: I’m honest, I don’t even know what the Italian sides look like. For the simple reason because I don’t understand the language (laughs). I am also not incredibly present on social media, so I hardly get anything from it. But that media attention here in Como is not quite as big as Mats in Rome is very well suited at the moment.
“Hopefully Hertha will make the turnaround”
Sport1: Do you follow your ex-club Hertha BSC and do you still have connections to Berlin?
Kempf: Of course I always look at the results. Especially at the beginning, when I lived in the hotel, I had a lot of time to follow the club. A lot has gone unhappily in the past few months and years, that’s really a shame.
Sport1: So do you see the development in Berlin with a crying eye?
Kempf: Definitely. I left the club in good and got on very well with my former teammates. It is all the more painful that Hertha is currently in such a bad situation. I wish the boys and all those responsible only the best. Hopefully they will make the turnaround.
Sport1: Would you be able to return to Germany for you or could you imagine staying in Como longer?
Kempf: I have absolutely nothing to criticize here (laughs). It is clear that football is a fast -moving business and it can look very different again in half a year. But I don’t think about that at the moment. I have two more years here, I want to fulfill it.