Posted by With less than two weeks until Liga MX play starts up again, top division sides have combined to make 63 new signings in an effort to strengthen their hopes for a liguilla place or to avoid relegation. Here are five of the best signings so far:
Gustavo Cabral (Celta de Vigo to Pachuca)
The Clausura 2019 saw Pachuca qualify for the Liguilla for the first time in four tournaments. Although their close-run quarterfinal elimination to eventual champions Tigres was a marked improvement on their league performance in previous seasons, their defensive struggles were a theme throughout. Los Tuzos had the league’s 12th best defense in the Clausura 2019. Their 26 goals conceded made them the worst defensive outfit of any of the last season’s Liguilla qualifiers.
In an effort to recapture the defensive solidity that underpinned their last title (Clausura 2016, where they conceded a league-low 16 regular season goals) Los Tuzos signed Argentinean center-back Gustavo Cabral from Celta de Vigo. With 247 La Liga appearances since making his debut in Spain in 2011, Cabral should provide the boost in quality necessary to improve Pachuca’s solidity at the back. Cabral’s addition, together with the presence of Colombian international Óscar Murillo, means Pachuca go from suffering the inconsistencies of former Atlas man Stiven Barreiro to boasting one of the best center-back pairings in the league.
Ricardo Centurión (Racing to Atlético San Luis)
As a result of their partnership with Atlético Madrid and the accompanying economic support, San Luis have been by far the most active top flight side in the transfer market, making nine signings so far. The most eye-catching of these buys is former Argentinean youth international Ricardo Centurión.
Having starred at Argentinean heavyweights Racing and Boca Juniors, in addition to spells at Sao Paolo and Genoa, Centurion’s quality is not in doubt. However, his career has been beset by off the field issues stemming from his penchant for drinking and fighting. The most recent of these incidents saw him scuffle with Racing Coach Eduardo “Chaco” Coudet on the sidelines of the Estadio Monumental, after refusing to be subbed-on in the second half of a league match against River Plate.
Nevertheless, San Luis will be hoping that Centurión can stay focused on his football away from the spotlight of a major Argentinean side and the country’s notoriously difficult sports media. San Luis’s status as one of the league’s lesser lights, coupled with their geographic location away from one of Mexico’s big cities, should also help this process. Furthermore, there is recent precedent for talented Argentinean bad-boys succeeding at smaller Mexican sides. One of the star players of last year’s Clausura was Brian Fernández, who had struggled with drug addiction before scoring 12 goals in his first season with Necaxa. If he can stay away from the nightclubs, Centurión has the quality to emulate Fernández and lift San Luis away from relegation danger.
Leo Ramos (Lobos BUAP to León)
Last season’s surprise package, León’s whopping regular season total of 41 points was fueled by an electric offense. Los Esmeraldas scored 41 goals in 17 regular season matches in the Clausura 2019, with the next closest side, Monterrey, only registering 33. The majority León’s goals came from league top scorer Ángel Mena (14) and top-scoring Mexican José Juan Macias (10).
However, the goals dried up for León in the Liguilla. After finding the net five times during their quarterfinal with Tijuana, La Fiera mustered only one goal in their remaining four matches. This issue was particularly noticeable in the final against Tigres. With Macías away at the U-20 World Cup and Mena unable to continue his regular season form (0 goals in 6 Liguilla games), León didn’t have a reliable back-up scoring option to turn to. This lack of scoring depth was a huge factor in their eventual 1-0 aggregate loss to Tigres.
In an effort to address this issue, León signed forward Leo Ramos from Lobos BUAP. After impressing at second-division Cafetaleros de Tapachula, Ramos was given a chance at Lobos mid-way through the Apertura 2018. The burly Argentinean never looked back, scoring 16 goals in 23 league matches between the Apertura 2018 and Clausura 2019. Ramos’ output was particularly impressive considering that Lobos were the 12th best offense in the Apertura 2018 (21 goals) and the 15th best in the Clausura 2019 (17 goals). As a result, Ramos was the main concern for any opposing defense. Whether León coach Nacho Ambríz decides to pair him up top with Macías or use him as a battering ram in the second half against tiring defenses, Ramos should flourish in a side with multiple attacking threats.
Guillermo “Pol” Fernández (Racing to Cruz Azul)
After trying to sign Guillermo Fernández in 2017 while he was still at Godoy Cruz, Cruz Azul have finally gotten their man this summer. A key cog in Racing’s Superliga Argentina title squad (23 appearances in 25 league matches), Fernandez’s versatility could prove crucial to La Maquina’s efforts to win a first league title since 1997.
Although “Chaco” Coudet mostly used Fernandez from the left in a 4-1-3-2 formation this past season, the Boca Juniors academy graduate can also play in central midfield or as a traditional number “10”. With the wide attacking talents of Roberto Alvarado, Orbelín Pineda and Jonathan Rodríguez already in the squad, it is likely that Fernandez will be of most use to coach Pedro Caixinha in the latter two positions.
After new signing Stephen Eustaquio tore his ACL in his first league match for La Maquina on January 26th, midfield depth was a huge problem for Caixinha. After initially marginalizing Rafa Baca, the Portuguese tactician was forced to bring the midfielder back into his starting 11. As Eustaquio continues to recover from his ligament damage, Fernandez could be a key cog in the engine room for Cruz Azul alongside Peruvian international Yoshimar Yotun.
If he isn’t deployed in the heart of midfield, Fernandez could provide a much-needed creative boost for Cruz Azul further forward. Although they boasted inventiveness of the aforementioned trio of Alvarado, Pineda and Rodriguez last season, Cruz Azul only managed 26 goals regular season goals, the second fewest of the Liguilla qualifiers. Fernandez’s skill on the ball and ability to pick out the final pass could give more reliable service to center-forward Milton Caraglio.
Leonel Miranda (Defensa y Justicia to Tijuana)
Xolos fought off strong interest from Liga MX giants América to secure the signature of Leonel Miranda on a one-year loan with an option to buy for a reported $2.8 million. A powerhouse defensive midfielder, Miranda was critical to Defensa y Justicia’s surprise challenge for the 2018-19 Argentine Superliga, starting 24 of the club’s 25 league matches and playing a total of 2,187 minutes.
Miranda provides all the attributes of a modern defensive midfielder. He brings the requisite strength in the challenge, with 68.3% of his duels won in league play last year. Notably, Miranda received only 8 yellow cards and no red cards in 86 matches for Defensa y Justicia between 2016 and 2019, showing that he is disciplined when trying to win the ball back. Besides his defensive capabilities, Miranda showed off an impressive ability on the ball last season, making over 71 passes a game with an 85.5% pass success rate.
Reports indicated that América was interested in buying Miranda as a replacement for star midfielder Guido Rodríguez, who has been linked with a move to Europe this summer. Rodríguez is a former Xolos player himself, and also played at Defensa y Justicia before moving to Mexico. After 42 appearances for Xolos in 2016/17, Rodriguez was sold to América for a reported $7.1 million, more than 3.5 times what Tijuana originally paid for him. Before making them a similar profit, Xolos will hope that Miranda can help them improve on their Liguilla quarterfinal exit from last season.
Just for Kicks 