Liga MX front offices still wheeling and dealing

Less than two weeks remain in the Liga MX transfer window and activity continues apace.

América, desperate to claim its 14th league title, brought in two new players this past week and continues to negotiate with an MLS club to acquire a winger.

Another title favorite – Tigres – finally addressed its back line concerns and inked a veteran defender, while Mazatlán FC and Necaxa added to their rosters in hopes of avoiding “Relegation Zone” sanctions.

Meanwhile, the Chivas are making a bid to bring a promising young midfielder back from Europe.

Liga MX rosters still being tweaked

After falling in the quarterfinals three seasons in a row, América decided enough was enough.

The front office dismissed eight players and quickly acquired Santos Laguna playmaker Diego Valdés and El Tri midfielder Jonathan dos Santos. Its next moves were slow to develop, but the club was determined to boost each line.

Coach Santiago Solari declared he needed a right wing to win but management has been unsuccessful so far. Talks with initial targets Pablo Solari (Chile’s Colo Colo) and Brian Ocampo (Uruguay’s Nacional) fell apart and now Paul Arriola is Plan C.

“Los AzulCremas” are deep in negotiations with DC United to acquire the services of Arriola, a USA international who played in Liga MX with Tijuana from 2013 through 2017.

América has had success filling its other lines already. Over the weekend, the Aguilas finalized a deal to bring in midfielder Alejandro Zendejas (Necaxa’s leading scorer last season) and on Monday Jorge Meré arrived from Germany.

Meré – a 24-year-old Spaniard – joins from FC Cologne, convinced to move to Liga MX by compatriot Álvaro Fidalgo who followed coach Solari to Mexico from Real Madrid. Meré came represented Spain at every age group level, but has not gotten a call-up to the senior team. He will take the roster spot of veteran Emanuel Aguilera who was traded to Liga MX champs Atlas.

Zendejas, 23, started his career with FC Dallas before Guadalajara brought him to Liga MX in 2016, but he failed to impress and was let go by the Chivas. In 2020, Necaxa signed him and he has grown into a midfield force, even getting a call-up to El Tri in October.

América and Necaxa were both owned by Televisa at one time and have become frequent trading partners in recent years. That trend continued this winter as the Aguilas sent striker Nicolás Castillo to the Rayos last month after sending three players (Alan Medina, Alonso Escoboza and Fernando Gonzáles) to “Los Electricistas” last summer.

On Monday, Necaxa formally announced that midfielders Fernando Madrigal and Jesús Antonio López has been added to their roster after they were released by América. Coach Pablo Guede will be pleased after the Rayos had rid themselves of two midfielders (Jonathan González and Fernando Arce) before Zendejas departed.

The Rayos are eager to avoid the financial penalty associated with finishing in the bottom three of the Liga MX “Relegation Standings.” Currently, Necaxa sits in 15th place.

Tigres repatriate Lichnovsky

Coach Miguel Herrera had identified his defense as a weak point when he took over last summer. The Tigres’ featured a veteran back line that was showing cracks with age, while younger defenders – Diego Reyes and Carlos Salcedo – were not picking up the slack.

Enter Chile international Igor Lichnovsky who was plying his trade with Saudi Arabia’s Al Shabab. The 27-year-old center back is familiar with Liga MX as he played with Necaxa for a year then starred with Cruz Azul for three seasons.

Lichnovsky will move into the starting line-up as soon as he settles in, a transition that can’t come soon enough especially as Salcedo appears poised to leave the Tigres for MLS club Toronto FC.

Over on the Pacific coast, Mazatlán FC has taken a leap of faith and signed veteran Marco Fabián who most recently played for FC Juárez. The 32-year-old had been looking for a club since Juárez released him last summer.

Fabián returned to Liga MX in summer 2020 from Qatari club Al Sadd. The Chivas academy product left Mexico in 2016 for Eintracht Frankfurt, but a series of injuries prevented him from securing his future in the Bundesliga.

The Cañoneros hope the attacking midfielder can spark the club’s offense as the front office would like to avoid paying a “Relegation” fine. Mazatlán FC sits in 14th place in the “Relegation Standings,” just 2 points above Necaxa.

Pizzuto to return to Liga MX?

Pachuca academy star Eugenio Pizzuto left for France after playing a key role for Mexico’s Under-17 team. Pizzuto, a midfielder, captained El Tri all the way to the final of the 2019 U-17 World Cup, catching the eye of several European clubs.

Despite a nasty broken leg suffered in January 2020, Pizzuto signed a deal with Ligue 1 side Lille, but he never caught on at the club. The San Luis Potosí native played with Lille’s junior teams but did not get a debut in Ligue 1.

This week, we learned that the Chivas have been asking the French team about acquiring the promising youngster. Though Pizzuto would be reluctant to give up on his European dreams, he might consider a chance to play regularly a bigger boon to his nascent professional career.