Nicolás Larcamón to take over as León manager

León flattered to deceive in the 2022 Apertura tournament, failing to finish in the top eight before being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by Cruz Azul. On Monday, Los Esmeraldas announced that Portuguese head coach Renato Paiva had resigned from his position and that the club’s board of directors had immediately started the search for his replacement in time for the 2023 Clausura tournament.

According to journalist César Luis Merlo, the Guanajuato state outfit have agreed a deal to appoint Argentine Nicolás Larcamón as Paiva’s replacement, with Merlo revealing that Léon chairman Jesús Martínez had quickly come to an agreement with the former Puebla boss for him to make the switch.

Due to his impressive spell in charge of Puebla, Larcamón had been one of the most sought-after coaches in Mexican soccer, so it comes at no surprise that he will remain in Liga MX. The Argentine had been working as an analyst for TUDN alongside Ricardo Peláez, Mauro Camoranesi, Ricardo Antonio La Volpe and Jaime Lozano.

How did Nicolás Larcamón fare at Puebla?

Larcamón arrived in Mexico to take over at Puebla for the 2021 Clausura tournament following the departure of Peruvian Juan Reynoso. Having taken charge with little fanfare, the South American went on to post 29 victories, 30 draws and 22 defeats in 81 matches, with Los Panzas Verdes scoring 116 goals and conceding 108 in that time.

The 2023 Clausura begins on 6 January and León will travel to Mazatlán on the opening matchday. In addition to playing in the domestic league, they will also take part in the Concacaf Champions League as Apertura 2021 runners-up. They face Panamanian side Tauro in their first match in that competition in March.