Mauricio Pellegrino is in Buenos Aires. The new coach of Universidad de Chile returned to his country after mending his bond with Azul Azul, on an express visit he made to Santiago last weekend.
Beyond the distance, the strategist talks daily with Manuel Mayo, the concessionaire’s sports manager. They review the positions to reinforce and together they design the team to face the 2023 season. They don’t want to waste time before the start of training.
The truth is that in the club not only They work on the output of four soccer players. Mauricio Pellegrino has his second reinforcement closed. It is that the name of Juan Pablo Gómez, who arrived at the club when the strategist had not yet signed his bond, will be joined by Federico Mateos (29 years old), the midfielder who defended Ñublense last season, according to Bolavip.
The footballer, who was runner-up in the 2022 National Championship, was a bulwark in the team that achieved a historic qualification for the Copa Libertadores. The U has been following it for several weeks, as anticipated Sporting. He is one of the names that always generated interest in La Cisterna along with Lorenzo Reyes, his partner in the Ñublense midfield.
Another of the names in which progress is being made for his hiring is that of Matías Zaldivia. The Argentine defender, who was released after passing through Colo Colo, a club he defended from 2015 to 2022, is close to sealing his arrival at La Cisterna. “Zaldivia wants to come and we want him to come. It is being discussed and some clauses of the contract must be refined. He is very close ”they say from the club.
His profile fits into the taste of Pellegrino, who seeks to strengthen the defensive zone. The trans-Andean would come to fight for a position with Nery Domínguez and Luis Casanova, two footballers who suffered from injuries during the 2022 season.
This Tuesday, during the council of presidents, Michael Clark assured that the final decision of the signings that reach the CDA will be agreed upon with Pellegrino. He did it to refer to Marcelo Díazone who seeks to return to the team of his loves.
“In the U nobody has the doors closed. The conformation of the establishment goes through the technical office, by Manuel (Mayo) and by the technician. And if they consider that Marcelo (Díaz) can be a piece that comes to contribute, we will sit down to talk. But in the end you have to let the coach arrive, see what he has and put it together”Clark said. . “In life you have to have convictions, you have to be clear about what can be done, what you have to do and what is best for the club. And with that, make certain decisions. Sometimes the right decisions for the club are not the most popular ones. Sometimes yes. Everything will depend on the evaluation of the technician ”, closed the businessman.