Chacho Coudet eyes Giovanni Simeone as River’s new striker | OneFootball

Eduardo Coudet has already made his debut as River’s coach, in what was a narrow 2-1 victory over Huracán in Parque Patricios. Although his team did not shine, the win gave him a fresh and clean start to begin his tenure on the right foot.

Between the match against the Globo and the training sessions since his arrival from Deportivo Alavés, Chacho has already made his first decision regarding reinforcements and transfer market moves. The first contact with the technical department was clear: Coudet wants a number 9 for River.

The chosen one is Giovanni Simeone, another player who came up through River Camp. Cholito has been successfully moving around various Serie A teams in Italy since 2016 and now, at Chacho’s request, could return to the Millonario a decade later.

Currently, Gio is on loan at Torino from Napoli and is having a good goal-scoring season, having scored 7 goals in 23 matches. In fact, he is the fourth Argentine with the most goals in Italy this season, behind Lautaro Martínez, Nico Paz, and Mateo Pellegrino.

The eldest son of Cholo Simeone, with a past in the Argentine National Team (he played six matches between 2018 and 2023, with one goal to his name), has a contract with Torino until June of this year and must return to Napoli, where his contract runs until mid-2028. For Chacho Coudet, his arrival as a reinforcement in the second half of 2026 is the number one priority.

Currently, River does not have a striker with the characteristics of Gio Simeone, since although his height is not conventional for a killer—he is 1.80 meters tall—Cholito is a classic center forward. The only player with a similar style in the current squad is Joaquín Freitas, as Sebastián Driussi, Facundo Colidio, Agustín Ruberto, and Maximiliano Salas play a different role as number 9s.

In conclusion, Eduardo Coudet wants to strengthen River’s attack and the only target, as a total priority, is Giovanni Simeone. In July, when the transfer window opens again, he could be the first signing of the Chacho era at River.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.