Transfer Rumor Season Starts Early

The current season has one match to go, yet already I've been seeing the rumors of potential new signings fly. We already know that Newell's Old Boys will be losing quite a few players, Mauro Fórmica, Leo Vangioni, and Juan Manual Insaurralde are all being shopped around. Jorge Achucarro, Joaquín Boghossian are with the team on loan, and are unlikely to have their loans extended. Sánchez Prette is already gone, and barely saw any action during the Clausura anyway. Cristian Nuñez is also set to depart, though I'm not sure if he's a loan, or if the team is hoping to sell him to try and help ease the debt.

Now, there's a couple of names being bounced around as possible additions:

Nicolás “El Buitre” Pavlovich – currently with Argentinos Jrs. “The Vulture” is a decent striker, but has not been a regular starter for Argentinos. Talent wise, he's no where near Boghossian, and I'd even put him lower than Nuñez. He did, however, start his career with Newell's, so if the club can bring him back, he'll be an automatic fan favorite. At 32, he's certainly not a long term solution, but if he can come in and perform as well as Diego Mateo, and Lucas Bernardi have there will be no complaints, and plenty to cheer about.

Marcelo Gallardo – River Plate. All I'm going to say is NO! Gallardo was once a good playmaker, but has proven that he is well past his prime. At 34 he has announce he's leaving River, but, considering his current ability on the field, he should simply retire... even if that means joining a team in the USA. I'm sure MLS would be glad to have him.

I also came across the probably starting 11 for today's match against San Lorenzo:

Nahuel Guzmán
Agustín Alayes, Rolando Schiavi, Juan Insaurralde
Nahuel Roselli, Diego Mateo, Lucas Bernardi, Juan Quiroga
Mauricio Sperduti, Joaquín Boghossian, Emanuel Dening

Fórmica is out, as he received his fifth yellow card. Achucarro and Estigarribia are out as they are off to join their national team in preparation for the World Cup. Sebastián Peratta is not playing, but will be on the substitutes bench in the only odd replacement. It's probably just to get Guzmán some playing time in what is generally a match with little significance. Newell's are already qualified for the Copa Sudamericana, and the best we could hope for with a win would be to move up from 5th to 4th.

Now, how is it that I've been able to post this at 9am on a Friday morning? Normally I would be getting ready for work, but last night I had a filling pop out of a tooth. I called up my dentist this morning, and they have an opening at 10. I'm hoping that it's a simple visit, and will at least be able to get half a day in at work. Wish me luck.