Pablo Longoria’s rocky River Plate start amid defeats, player exile and possible Almada boost | OneFootball

Appointed in April as River Plate sporting director, Pablo Longoria has endured a turbulent start, with a losing run and a fractious squad, though a move for Thiago Almada could yet lift the mood. According to L'Équipe, the former Marseille president has had to adapt quickly to a new environment as the window nears its end.

Last weekend brought a 0-1 home defeat to Rosario Central, River’s third loss in three league outings, with an incomplete bench due to a shortage of available players.

In June, 15 players were cut from the group and told to train at the youth complex beside the Monumental, which remains under construction. They change in orange containers used as makeshift dressing rooms, alongside temporary site offices. Seven, including 2022 world champion German Pezzella, formerly of Betis, and Paraguay international Matias Galarza, remain there.

Responsibility for the decision is unclear inside the club, frustrating players and fans alike. Some accounts link the list to Longoria, others point to president Stefano Di Carlo, while people close to the Spaniard insist he neither drafted it nor ordered the isolation and believe tensions could ease after the window shuts.

Longoria, 40, sits alongside manager Enzo Francescoli, the president and coach Eduardo Coudet under the glare of discontented supporters, while his brief remains ill defined in a country where the sporting director role is uncommon. With Domingo Catoira, formerly of Valladolid and Espanyol, he is reshaping recruitment and has added data analysts to support longer-term decision-making.

Argentine reporters covering River say he has kept a low profile, with his introductory press conference repeatedly delayed then dropped until results improve.

There is a glimmer of hope in Almada, the Atlético Madrid and Argentina international, 25, once pursued by Flamengo but seemingly no longer a priority there. Longoria is also on that file for River and met Atlético’s sporting director Mateu Alemany in early July in Madrid.

Source: L'Équipe

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”