The Superclásico left its mark: Coudet's top River targets | OneFootball

The defeat in Sunday’s Superclásico at the Monumental not only left anger in Núñez over the poor performance of Héctor Paletta, who from the VAR booth did not call Darío Herrera, the head referee, to alert him that Lautaro Blanco’s shove on Lucas Martínez Quarta could have been a play worth reviewing as a possible penalty, something made clear in one of the images showing the Boca player’s recklessness. It also served as a reality check.

The footballing level of a team that did not rise to the occasion in such an important match makes it necessary to rethink and reshape the squad ahead of the next transfer window. And although there is still time before the semester ends, with River competing to win the Apertura and finish first in its Copa Sudamericana group, in the offices at Udaondo and Figueroa Alcorta .

There are several names on River’s radar, some of them heavyweights, others former club players, and one Uruguayan surprise. They are Nicolás Otamendi, Ángel Correa, Claudio Echeverri, Giovanni Simeone and Mauro Arambarri.

According to Clarín, there has already been contact regarding the World Cup-winning defender. And they believe that this time the match with the player could finally happen, as he has shown on more than one occasion his desire to wear the red sash because of his love for the club. They also believe that, despite being 38, he is still going strong and can be a leader for a squad that needs important figures in defense. Without going any further, in midyear he will play in the last World Cup of his career.

And after the tournament in Canada, Mexico and the United States, he would leave Benfica. “Obviously I don’t want to add any extra words. I met Chacho Coudet once. I have a contract with Benfica and it ends in June; we’ll see whether I open the door to River,” “Ota” said a month ago, when he came to Argentina to join the national team camp, which played friendlies against Mauritania and Zambia in the country.

At that time, Ignacio Villarroel, River’s second vice president, was at a sports congress in Portugal and the Portuguese media asked him about the issue. “We all know that Otamendi is a River fan, he has said it, he has shown it; he is an Argentina national team player, a world champion, a very interesting player to consider, but we are going to be respectful of the process, first because Nicolás is playing for Benfica and we are in the middle of the season.

“But we all know about the love River fans have for Otamendi, and Otamendi has for the club,” the River executive said, making it clear that he is a player who would undoubtedly be of great interest in Núñez. He added: “He is one of the great players in the history of the national team. River fans and Argentine fans recognize him and identify with him because he is a leader, one who protects Messi, Julián (Álvarez), everyone.”

He is not the only world champion in River’s sights, as the club already has Franco Armani, Gonzalo Montiel, Germán Pezzella and Marcos Acuña in the squad. Besides Otamendi, they are also targeting another player who knows the weight of football’s most coveted trophy. It is Ángel Correa, an attacking midfielder who can play alongside a center forward or adapt to different attacking systems. He is 31, but for his arrival to happen, River would have to pay a significant amount of money. Last year he signed with Tigres of Mexico for 9 million dollars and is under contract until 2030.

Another player who could also give River a boost in quality in the final third is Claudio Echeverri. The “Little Devil” (20), who was bought by the City Group, was loaned out a couple of times in Europe after making his debut for Manchester City and being unable to establish himself in Pep Guardiola’s team. He first went to Bayer Leverkusen and is now at Girona in Spain. He has been putting in standout performances, but a possible return to River is always in the background.

In fact, there was an attempt in the summer to bring him in on loan, driven by the player’s wish, but it did not go through because the intention of those who own his rights was for him to remain in Europe. Still, that situation could be revisited in the next transfer window.

Another former River player developed in the club’s academy who is being watched is Giovanni Simeone. In fact, there have already been talks, and Cholo Simeone’s son would be interested in returning to Argentina. It will not be easy, however, given that he plays for Torino in Italy, with whom he is under contract until 2028. But River needs a center forward. And Gio, 30, wants to come back, according to this newspaper.

Lastly, there is a name that emerged as a surprise but for whom River has already started talks. It is Uruguayan Mauro Arambarri, who has been playing for Getafe in Spain for eight years. He is 30 and a left-footed box-to-box midfielder who can also play out wide. He played in South American youth tournaments and youth World Cups with his national team and has also featured for the senior side.

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