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From Liga MX to EPL: Santos loans Muñoz to Newcastle

By Thomas Buckley

Santiago Muñoz of Santos celebrates his game-tying goal against América on Feb. 1. It was the first career goal for the 18-year-old. (Photo by Manuel Guadarrama/Getty Images)
Santiago Muñoz of Santos celebrates his game-tying goal against América on Feb. 1. It was the first career goal for the 18-year-old. (Photo by Manuel Guadarrama/Getty Images) /
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Liga MX - Muñoz to Newcastle
Liga MX transfer news: Nicolás Benedetti’s move from América to Mazatlán FC has been put on hold. (Photo by Hector Vivas/Getty Images) /

Teen striker Santiago Muñoz finally got his wish as Santos Laguna completed an 18-month loan deal with Newcastle that has Magpies fans doing a double-take.

The El Paso, Texas, native debuted in Liga MX less than a year ago (Oct. 25, 2020), but quickly became a regular part of Guillermo Almada’s rotation last season. As an 18-year-old (Muñoz turned 19 on Aug. 14), the lithe striker scored 3 goals and had 3 assists in 11 starts, helping the Guerreros reach the Liga MX finals where they lost to Cruz Azul.

Muñoz did not make an appearance with the Guerreros this season as he pushed for a move to Europe (there were reports of interest out of Belgium where fellow Santos alum Gerardo Arteaga plays for Genk). In fact, Coach Almada sent him to the academy squad during training camp after determining that Muñoz “was not focused on playing football.”

Joining the Geordies

Upon completion of the transfer to The Toon, many headlines focused on the similarities with the 2005 film “Goal! The dream begins.”

The protagonist in the movie is a Mexican youngster named Santiago Munez who signs with Newcastle United and helps lead them to a UEFA Champions League berth in his debut season.

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The real story will not play out that way as Muñoz will join Newcastle’s academy team while the Magpies will be fighting to avoid relegation from the Premier League.

Muñoz follows J.J. Macías in making the move from Liga MX to Europe this summer, and in comparable fashion. Macías effectively forced his move to Spain’s Getafe after facing criticism that his desire to play abroad was affecting his performance. The difference, however, is that the former Chivas player allegedly sulked for an entire season such that Guadalajara players were said to be relieved when he left.

In other Liga MX news …

América put a hold on its sale of Nicolás Benedetti to Mazatlán FC while club officials race to fill its remaining “foreigner” spots. Liga MX regs allow 10 “foreigners” on each team’s game-day roster.

One of América’s “foreigner” spots opened last week when winger Renato Ibarra, an Ecuadorian, suffered a season-ending injury. Benedetti is a Colombian, so the Aguilas would have two vacant “foreigner” spots if the midfield playmaker were traded.

The Aguilas were in talks with one unnamed target (a Spanish winger), but the deal fell through when his wife nixed the idea of moving to Mexico. A second transfer target in Spain – Venezuelan winger Darwin Machís (Granada) – is nursing an injury that has put the transaction in limbo.

If América is unable to finalize a move, Benedetti will remain with the Aguilas.

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That would be a tough turn of events for Mazatlán who were hoping “El Poeta” would help lead the Cañoneros to the Liga MX playoffs. Benedetti is a clever playmaker who could have helped spark the Mazatlán offense, although he has been injury-prone since arriving in Liga MX in January 2019.

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