Colón kick off ‘Operation Clear-out’ with Joel Soñora, who’s next? | OneFootball

According to the Sabalero coaching staff’s plan, October would be completed and in November they would have 21 consecutive days of leave. The directors are moving forward to agree on contract terminations.

After the break the Colón squad enjoyed upon finishing the last match against CADU at the Cemetery of the Elephants, all members of the professional squad have been called in this Monday to return to work at the June 4 sports complex. For now, what the coaching staff led by Ezequiel Medrán has laid out is the following: finish out October with training sessions and grant a three-week leave at the very start of November. At the same time, just as was already finalized with Joel Soñora, the board’s goal is to activate the “Purging Plan” and slim the squad down as much as possible through contract rescissions.

For the time being, this Monday afternoon everyone returns to work together at the June 4 sports complex. Kevin Colli, Lautaro Gaitán, Matías Córdoba, Iván Ojeda, Conrado Ibarra, Zahir Yunis, Tomás Paredes, and Zahir Ibarra were the academy players singled out by Ezequiel Medrán to “drop down” to the reserve team coached by Martín Minella.

This group, unlike the other professionals, did not enjoy any time off, in a clear decision by the coach looking ahead. Against Estudiantes de La Plata, in the last reserve match for the Sabaleros (it was 0–0 at the rojinegro training ground), Colón lined up: Piaggio; Ravano, Campagnaro, Luque, Lautaro Gaitán, García, Johnston, Galbán, Matías Córdoba, Iván Ojeda, and Kevin Colli.

The first termination agreement is the one reached with Joel Soñora; it only remains to sign the papers.

Other cases that are “on track” for termination are those of José Barreto, Facundo Sánchez, and Cristian García. The most surprising is the holding midfielder who came from Peru, signed for a year and a half, but in Santa Fe was marked by constant injuries that prevented him from showing his abilities, and he was even seen playing eight-a-side football.

And the case that should fall by its own weight is that of Marcos Díaz, since the former Boca and Huracán goalkeeper has long been separated from Colón’s professional squad, training on an offset schedule, at a different time and place from the rest.

Without a doubt, the directors have begun talks so that those with contracts until December can agree on their departures. It’s about negotiating these final three months (October, November, and December), during which players receive their salaries without any competition in between. “All the clubs that missed out on the playoffs, and those that get knocked out this weekend, are in the same boat: the player knows he isn’t staying, and each institution wants to shed the obligation, considering those footballers won’t continue,” is what’s understood in the world of lower-division football.

What would fit perfectly is being able to agree to those departures now in October, since in November they will be granted the 21 days of leave required by Futbolistas Argentinos Agremiados for players.

As for the rest of the matters, the political focus is set on a distant November 30 (elections), with the candidacies of Ricardo Luciani, Ricardo Magdalena, and José Alonso officially confirmed by the “Vignattismo.” Dr. Gustavo Abraham, with his historic group, must decide whether to run on his own or move forward with the idea of a “Sabalero common front.”

Finally, looking at the calendar, the date of October 17 is a concern, because that is the deadline Colón has under the CAS ruling to reach an agreement with Paraguayan footballer Alberto Espínola. The amount of 375,000 dollars plus 12 million pesos, with their corresponding interest, is a major worry in the Colón world, because the next step if there’s no agreement is a FIFA transfer ban on the Sabalero entity, affecting the next transfer window.

Colón devised a six-installment plan to pay, which was rejected by the Paraguayan defender. In recent hours, the idea was to reduce those installments, hoping that a significant amount of money would come into the Sabalero coffers. In this regard, they are looking to Vicente López (Platense owes for Picco) and also to Avellaneda (a USD 300,000 installment is due from the transfer of Alan Forneris). Another possibility, considered but almost ruled out for now, was to seek a bank loan to close the famous “Espínola Case.”

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