Tiros Libres: Making Moves

By: Christian | January 16th, 2008

* For weeks there have been talks of Rodrigo Archubi joining River, and at last it appears that the deal will soon be finalized. The former Lanús and 2005 Under-20 World Youth champion is set to put pen to paper on a 6 month loan, and could be in Mar del Plata training with the rest of the squad as early as tomorrow. Archubi comes off a disappointing spell with Greek club Olympiacos (home of course to recently acquired Fernando Belluschi), and will give Diego Simeone another left-footed option along with Abelairas and Buonanotte. Interesting trivia: It was Archubi’s 57th minute goal that defeated Boca 2-1 on the last day of the 2006 Apertura season, forcing a one-game playoff between eventual winners Estudiantes, coached at the time, of course, by Diego Simeone.

* Marco Rubén may be headed to Spain. La Liga side Deportivo La Coruña are looking to secure the young forward in a mid-season loan worth about $500,000; River, however, have stated they will only agree to a permanent deal. Rubén has not lived up to expectations since joining the club in 2007 from Rosario Central, scoring only 7 goals in 28 appearances and looking average at best. With all due respect to Rubén, who could very well have a bright career ahead of him, he does not seem to me as a player deserving of the River kit, and the club should let him move on in the interest of both parties. Depor could certainly use any help they can get, as they well spend the second part of the season in an intense relegation battle, as they currently sit in 19th.

* The Juan Pablo Carrizo saga does not look to be ending anytime soon. Word is that the keeper will be unable to secure the proper paperwork for a move to Lazio, and as a result will spend another 6 months in Argentina. Considering some of the criticism that Juan Ojeda has been taking for his blunder against Independiente that lead to a draw in the Copa de Verano opener, some may argue that keeping Carrizo around for another campaign may not be such a bad idea. But Carrizo has made it clear that he wants to move to Italy as soon as he can, so it may not be in the best interest of the club to have their starting keeper with his head somewhere else. As for all the flack that Ojeda is getting, remember it was still only a friendly, the first after the holiday break, and he remains, for now, River’s starting keeper.

* Finally, Simeone has chosen Ariel Ortega as the team captain, replacing Paulo Ferrari. It’s a great honor for el Burrito considering the personal struggles he faced last season, and hopefully on the pitch he can guide the club to success this season.