Motta: Colón seal Neris deal, blow to River’s finances | OneFootball

In an exclusive interview with Darío Pignata on Radio Gol 96.7, the former president of River Plate of Uruguay, Fabián Motta, analyzed the complex plot behind the transfer of José Pablo Neris to Colón. Motta, who led the Uruguayan club during the sale process, broke down everything from the numbers of the operation to his deep bewilderment over the recent stance taken by the striker, who declared himself a free agent after appearing with a notary at the Santa Fe club’s facilities.

Saralegui’s Request and the Transfer Engineering

The arrival of the Uruguayan striker at Sabalero was not a random bet, but a specific request from then-head coach Marcelo Saralegui. Motta recalled that, although the relationship between both clubs was already positive after Mauro Da Luz’s previous transfer, the deal for Neris was on a much larger scale, involving an investment close to $800,000 for 65% of the player’s rights. On this, the former president explained that the negotiation was complex: “It was up to me, at Saralegui’s request, to handle Neris’s transfer, and at first the relationship was a bit tense, but later with Víctor Godano we resolved everything… we ended up with a very good deal, collecting everything that was pending.”

The Contrast Between the Vignatti and Godano Administrations

A key point in the conversation was the difference in payment compliance depending on the administration in charge at Colón. Motta did not hide that during José Vignatti’s presidency there were severe complications due to Argentina’s economic and currency instability, noting that “with Vignatti at the time, with all the issues with the dollar, payments were delayed quite a bit and for us it was a complication.” However, he highlighted that the situation changed dramatically with the current leadership, detailing that “with Godano, what we put together was a payment plan, and they even left one of the installments as a guarantee in case of any delay; that guarantee was only executed on the last installment, so everything we agreed on was strictly fulfilled.”

Bewilderment Over Legal Action and the Role of Representatives

The current point of greatest tension is Neris’s decision to consider himself a free agent due to alleged lack of sporting consideration. Motta, knowing the player’s career, was extremely surprised by this move to declare himself in rebellion, stating that “it surprised me because these are not normal attitudes that usually happen… with the good year José had at Montevideo Torque, I think there was the possibility to either continue at Colón or to get a transfer abroad that could have benefited all of us.” Likewise, the executive warned that this legal conflict represents a direct loss for River of Uruguay, which still holds 35% of the player’s economic rights. In this regard, he was blunt in saying that “River owns part of those rights and that’s also a blow to the club’s finances, but more than anything, the attitude—I don’t know if so much from the player as from the agent—surprised me in how things were being handled.”

Finally, regarding who is behind the player’s moves, Motta clarified that representation no longer falls directly on Francisco “Paco” Casal, but on his close associates, mentioning that “after Paco stepped back a bit from representation, Sorondo and Taborda remained, and both are now handling part of the player transfer business.”

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