Madelón starts shaping Unión’s 2026 plans | OneFootball

The elimination of Unión in the first round against Gimnasia, despite a strong campaign that saved them from relegation and qualified them for this stage for the first time, put Leonardo Carol Madelón and president Luis Spahn on a tight schedule looking ahead to 2026.

With the start of the new championship scheduled for January 25, time is of the essence to finalize logistics and the squad.

Preseason and the “Río de La Plata Series”

Madelón confirmed that Unión has once again received an invitation to participate in the “Río de La Plata Series” in Uruguay, an option he views favorably if “good fields and a good hotel” are guaranteed. The idea is to hold preseason training there and play at least three international friendlies, which would leave the players with very little rest before the official competition begins.

Spahn and the need to sell

President Luis Spahn reiterated the club’s financial policy: “We need to sell two players per season to maintain balance,” with an annual budget of $2 to $4 million dollars. Young players Mateo Del Blanco, Lautaro Vargas, and Valentín Fascendini are the main candidates to be transferred in this 2025/2026 summer market. Spahn also called on fans to “support” by paying their dues and season tickets in a challenging economic context.

“Surgical” decisions in the transfer market

The coaching staff and management must make quick and precise decisions regarding the continuity of several players, which involves significant financial investment:

Madelón, aware that “the bar has been set a bit higher” after his successful initial tenure, committed to continue demanding the best from himself, expecting the same from his players and receiving the fans’ demands. The 2026 transfer market will be a challenge of speed and precision to rebuild a competitive team.

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