In La Plata, they reflect on Nicolás Fernández’s lacklustre spell at Colón | OneFootball

The story of Nicolás Fernández, a left-back who emerged from the youth divisions of Estudiantes de La Plata, is just one more in the turbulent year that Colón experienced, where individual projects were swept away by a complex sporting and institutional context.

The 22-year-old defender had joined the Sabalero in mid-2024 on an 18-month loan, with the approval of Eduardo Domínguez himself, the current coach of the Pincha, who knew him from his time at the La Plata club. However, the gamble never paid off: his stint in Santa Fe was brief, irregular, and with little participation.

In his first stage, Fernández played only four official matches during 2024, accumulating just over 200 minutes on the field. At Colón, they tried to convert him into a central defender, a position he had already occupied in the youth teams, but in which he did not feel comfortable. Despite his willingness, the team's performance, coaching changes, and internal competition worked against him.

The start of 2025 offered him a new opportunity: he had completed a good preseason and seemed to have a secured spot within a five-defender line. However, an untimely injury kept him out at the start of the tournament, and during that time, the arrival of reinforcements further reduced his chances.

From there, the situation became an uphill battle. Fernández was relegated from the main squad and ended up training with other players marginalized from the group. This situation led him to reflect on the differences with his time at Estudiantes, where, according to those close to him, "everything depended on effort and internal competition." In Santa Fe, however, the institutional and sporting climate did not allow him to sustain progress. The only match he played was on March 2, 2025, against Chaco For Ever, adding just 12 minutes.

With the year ending and the loan nearing its conclusion, the player born in 2002 will return to City Bell, where he will seek to rebuild his career and regain lost ground. He has a contract with Estudiantes until December 2026, and his future will depend on the decisions of Domínguez's coaching staff.

Nicolás Fernández's case does not go unnoticed in Santa Fe. It reflects a symptom that Colón has been dragging: the difficulty in enhancing young players who arrive seeking minutes, amid a club still trying to rebuild after two tumultuous years, with changes in coaches, objectives, and an institutional renewal that is on the horizon in the coming weeks.

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