Is Galarza Fonda returning to River? At La Albirroja camp, he speaks out | OneFootball

The midfielder returned to his native Paraguay after a brief and underwhelming spell at MLS side Atlanta United and spoke about the future of his career, which will only be decided after the World Cup.

Matías Galarza Fonda’s time at Atlanta United was over in the blink of an eye. The Paraguayan midfielder had arrived in MLS in February with the intention of relaunching his career after falling out of Marcelo Gallardo’s plans at River, but the experience ended much sooner than expected: he played just 13 matches, with no goals or assists, and less than six months later he left through the back door. Back in Paraguay, attention is now turning to his future.

After arriving in the country to join Paraguay head coach Gustavo Alfaro’s squad, the midfielder was asked about the next step in his career and left the door open to a possible return to River: “I have a contract, I’m a River player. I take it well, it’s a great institution. We’ll see what happens...”.

Beyond his short-lived stay in the United States, where Atlanta United ultimately did not trigger the $3 million purchase obligation for 50% of his rights because he was far from starting in 75% of the matches, the midfielder believes he did enough to remain in Alfaro’s orbit. In fact, he is already training at the Luque facility alongside several of his Paraguay national team teammates.

In his mind, there is no thought of redemption after his disappointing spell at the Monumental, only one goal: “Today I’m thinking about what’s right in front of me, which is a World Cup. After that, I’ll see whether I return or what will happen in the future.” Even though his contract with River runs until December 2028, it is not confirmed that the midfielder will join preseason under Eduardo Coudet. The most likely scenario is that he leaves again in the next transfer window. Stefano Di Carlo’s board will listen to offers.

His spell at River was as brief as it was heavily criticized: 14 matches, only 5 as a starter (and he completed the full 90 minutes in just two of them), with no goals or assists. A thoroughly disappointing stint. Every appearance seemed like a final test, and every mistake, an early verdict. The numbers, cold and unforgiving, explain that based on the $3.5 million River paid for him, Galarza cost the club $250,000 per match. And with a more precise calculation, the cost rises to nearly $4,000 for every minute on the pitch.

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