Roselli Returns To Aldosivi

Nahuel Roselli was on a one year loan with Newell's Old Boys from Aldosivi de Mar del Plata (Primera B,) and the term of that loan is up. I can't blame his original team for wanting him back, as Roselli proved he was capable of playing in Argentina's top flight. His versatility was, able to play on the right side of defense and in midfield, was put to good use in his time with La Lepra.

Earlier, and forgive me if I've already posted this, Juan Manual Insaurralde has been sold to Boca Jrs. Boca's biggest problems the past season, which saw them finish 11th during the Apertura and 15th in the Clausura can be directly linked to a weakening defense. While one player certainly won't fix things, adding Insaurralde is certainly a step in the right direction.

Meanwhile, at the other team from Argentina that everyone in the world knows, River Plate, who are in even worst shape than Boca, have made their interest in Lepra favorite Mauro Fórmica. El Gato certainly would help River regain some of their offensive swagger, but there's one problem... the team called "Los Millonarios" are anything but Millionaires these days. In fact, the club is just as cash strapped as Newell's is. They say their willing to give up players for Mauro, but looking at their roster I don't see anyone on their roster worth taking. (With the possible exception of Diego Buonanotte... but I'm still not convinced of his fitness after having been in a car crash between the Apertura and Clausura.)

On a more positive note, Joaquín Boghossian may be staying with Newell's for at least the up coming Apertura. He's another player that the team only has a loan deal on, with Cerro (Uruguay,) and if they can't find a European buyer for the striker, Joaquín has made it known that he'd like to stay on Newell's.

Police Over Reacting, Libertadores, Transfer Rumblings

I told myself after the Newell's loss to San Lorenzo in the final match of the Apertura, I'd take a break and not write anything on my blog until the weekend... so much for promises.

I never like hearing about violence at matches, whether it's before, during, or after. Sure, as any journalist will tell you, it makes for "good copy,"* just like when I started writing ALIASL then president Eduardo Lopez made "good copy..." doesn't mean I enjoy writing about such things.

That said, I have to bring up the fact that there was an altercation between police and Newell's fans outside the stadium after the San Lorenzo game. One of the reasons I started writing about Newell's was because I was frustrated at the lack of coverage in the English speaking press/news sites. Because my Spanish is limited, all I can tell you is that Newell's president Guillermo Lorente has made a statement that the police over reacted to the situation. If anyone would care to take a look at the story I found in Spanish, you can find it here. If you can get back to me on what happened, please do so. As much as I don't like having these things happen, I don't like knowing half the story even more.

I did find the following footage on Youtube, though it really doesn't show much:


There's also been some news on the Copa Libertadores front. Newell's will face Ecuadoran side Emelec in the first round in an home/away battle to make it to the 2nd round of the competition. The winner on aggregate will go on to join Internacional of Brazil, Cerro from Uruguay, and Deportivo Quinto of Ecuador in group 5. Interestingly enough, Cerro is the former club of one Joaquín Boghossian, Newell's leading goal scorer during the Apertura.

I've also heard that River Plate are interested in defender Juan Insaurralde. I'm hoping we can hang on to him, but if River makes a solid offer, well, anything is possible. Lorente has stated that the team will hold on to Boghossian as long as possible, and that the team is looking for reinforcements for the coming Clausura and Libertadores campaigns. Thing is, the money for any in coming players has to come from some where...



* "Good copy," for those who aren't familiar with the term, refers to the newsworthiness of a subject. "Good copy" draws in readers. "Bad copy" will bore your readers, and drive them away.