Boca goes first with Diego Martínez: what are the first decisions the coach will have to make in the squad

Boca’s 2024 has been launched. Diego Martinez He took the reins of the team this Tuesday and his first measure was to postpone the official presentation as the new coach (it was scheduled for 6pm, at the Bombonera) to dedicate the first day of work to evaluating the team. While, in Boca Predio, he received the players and took first place for a season which will have as its main objectives the League Cup (in the first half), the Professional League (in the second) and the Copa Sudamericano. Additionally, you need to get tickets for the Copa Libertadores and Club World Cup 2025.

Martínez arrives at Boca at 45 years old, after an incipient but intense career, in which he has already crossed all categories of Argentine football and made a name for himself in Tigre, the team with which he obtained the Primera Nacional title and promotion to the First Division in 2021. In previously he directed Ituzaingó, Cañuelas, Comunicaciones, Midland, Estudiantes (BA), Godoy Cruz, Tigre and Huracán. To return to Boca, where he began his career as a youth coach.

The technical team that will accompany him is made up of his field assistants Cristian Bardaro, Adrián González and Gustavo Rodríguez; the physical trainers Juan Manuel Conte and Leandro Mazziotti; coach Patricio Ciavarella; goalkeeping coach Pablo Campodónico; and video analyst Omar Mateo.

Martínez signed his contract for one year with an option for another yearafter a complicated negotiation in which Huracán, the club where he worked and where he had six months left on his contract, asked him for financial compensation to terminate the relationship.

After several days of back and forth, the parties reached an agreement for a sum close to 300 thousand dollars to finalize the separation of the coach from the Parque de los Patricios club.

The team traveled to Ezeiza to carry out a series of usual analyzes before the start of the preseason, with the aim of preparing for the competition.

We saw it early Sergio Chiquito Romero, Darío Benedetto, Lucas Blondel and Nicolás Figalwho stopped with their cars at the entrance to sign autographs and take photos with the handful of fans waiting for them.

The first task of the new DT will be to define the situation of cases like those of Benedetto, Bruno Valdez, Juan Ramírez, Norberto Briasco or Frank Fabra (was absent with leave and will join this Wednesday), which for various reasons may be looking for a way out. The situation is different for players with market demand, such as Cristian Medina, Marcos Rojo (he rejected an offer from Inter Miami), Nicolás Valentini or Miguel Merentiel.

On the other hand, he will also have to decide whether or not to give a place in the team to players returning from loan as G.onzalo Maroni (San Lorenzo), Maxi Zalazar (Platense), Renzo Giampaoli (Quilmes), Agustín Obando and Aaron Molinas (Tigre)among others.

Finally, we will have to wait for the Football Council to decide on the renewals Luis Advíncula (everything is on track), Marcelo Weigandt (expected in June) and Valentín Barco (expected in December)who has offers from the Premier League and the idea is to raise Colo’s release clause from 10 to 25 million dollars.

As for possible reinforcements, Always Banega It is the priority and almost everything is closed to return to Boca. Cristian Lema He too is close to joining (his exit clause from Lanús is 400,000 dollars) and Matías Rojas He must separate from Corinthians in order to negotiate with Boca.

The truth is that the Gigolo wastes no time and has been working on Ezeiza’s property since Monday 1 January. There will be space for formal presentations and contacts with the press.