LIGA MX
Santos Laguna reach agreement with Nacho Ambriz
The 59-year-old, who started his managerial career in 2003 with Puebla, will coach his eighth Liga MX club.
Ignacio Ambriz is due to arrive in Torreón this week, to finish the Clausura 2024 tournament, as coach of Santos Laguna. The Mexican strategist will replace Pablo Repetto on the Guerreros bench. The green and white club confirmed on Sunday that they have parted ways with Repetto following the 0-3 defeat to Tigres.
According to journalist César Luis Merlo, Santos have reached a mutual agreement with Nacho Ambriz, who will take the reins of the team until the end of the current competition. The club is expected to make an official announcement at some point this week - despite an ongoing severance pay dispute with his previous club, Toluca.
Ambriz’s broad and varied coaching career
The 59-year-old coach’s last post was with Toluca, where he spent two years, taking the team to the Apertura 2022 final. He parted ways with Toluca at the end of October - a decision which didn’t go down well with fans. He was replaced by Carlos María Morales.
Ambriz has enjoyed a broad, extensive career both in Mexico and Spain since gaining his coaching license at the start of the new millennium. He began as Javier Aguirre’s assistant with the Mexico national team in 2002. His first proper coaching post was short-lived - he took over from Hugo Fernández at Puebla tasked with saving the team from relegation, which he managed to do.
Stints at Atlético San Luis, Chivas, Querétaro, América, Necaxa and León followed and in 2021, he had a brief adventure with Huesca, in the Spanish second division, signing a two-year contract with the Azulgranas only to be sacked after 12 games following a poor run of results. He led América to victory in the 2016 CONCACAF Champions League and has two domestic titles - the Copa Mexico won with Necaxa in 2018 and a league title - the Torneo Guard1anes 2020 with with León four years ago.
The CDMX-born coach will have a difficult job on his hands at Santos - he will try to inject a new lease of life into the Santistas, who have won just one game in the Clausura 2024 - against Puebla in Week 4. The team has lost four and drawn one during the current campaign and occupy 15th position in the general table. Santos’ next game is away to Pumas on Sunday - which could be Ambriz’s first game in charge.