Santiago Solari linked with the Chivas job, but who would he bring to the side struggling in Liga MX?
Ex-Real Madrid and Club América boss Santiago Solari has been touted as one of the men to take Chivas up the table; José Bordalás and Albert Celades are also said to be in the running.
It was the at the start of the 2014-15 season when Real Madrid entered a period of success that is still ongoing and potentially never going to be seen again. They finally ended the wait for La Décima, the club’s 10th European Cup, something that had become an obsession for everyone who wore the famous badge on their chest.
To add to the jubilation surrounding the club after achieving the long-awaited trophy, Ancelotti brought back a man who lifted the previous European Cup win; smiles greeted former captain Fernando Hierro’s arrival from all, and a typical raised eyebrow from the boss.
At the same time, the club was also experiencing success at lower levels, a winning mentality being ingrained from an early age. Santiago Solari was about to win the league with Madrid’s Cadete side (one of the many sections of the youth team the infinitely large Real Madrid spider-web possesses). This was the last time both Solari and Hierro crossed paths professionally, and the two players featured in the Champions League final match Zinedine Zidane won with a memorable strike. Now, however, it looks as though these ex-teammates may work together, this time over 9,000km away from Madrid.
Club America’s loss may be Chivas’ gain
Fernando Hierro has been selected as the new Sporting Director of Chivas and has the immediate task of stopping the unimpressive run the club have found themselves in. He has moved quickly to find a replacement for ex-coach Ricardo Cadena, sacked after sporting director Ricardo Peláez was also shown the door, making way for Hierro himself. Chivas were eliminated from the 2022 Apertura, meaning the last time they tasted success was 5 years ago and the man who was responsible for so much success in Europe is now testing his talent in Mexico.
It has been claimed that Solari is being looked at by Fernando Hierro to take over as manager. With such reports come various players that the Argentinian could use to bolster the struggling CD Guadalajara squad: Santiago Naveda and Salvador Reyes, from Solari’s old team Club América, have been mentioned as potential signings.
Managing from December 2020 to March 2022, a poor run of form saw Solari leave the América job; some of his ex-players, however, are on his wish list should he end up at CD Guadalajara. He would look to bolster the defensive unit in signing Naveda and Reyes, a deep-lying midfielder and a left back, but Mexican striker Henry Martín, América’s main goalscorer, is also said to be linked.
Hierro keeping his options open
The ex-Real Madrid manager is not the only name supposedly being thrown around as a potential replacement for Cadena. José Bordalás, the man who took Getafe to the Europa League in 2019/20, is said to be being considered, as is Albert Celades, the former Valencia boss.
There is a perhaps unsurprising Real Madrid theme to the potential appointments from Hierro, and with Solari there would seemingly be scope to bring in names that excite, ones that might make a difference and finally turn Chivas’ season around.