Cruz Azul is already making some off season moves in an effort to ensure that any new signings that the team makes will actually arrive on time, and not in the middle of the season like they did last season. There are a couple of things that the heads of the club still need to figure out. It’s widely been speculated that interim sporting director Carlos Lopez de Silanes will get the ax, and former Monterrey executive, and center forward Luis Miguel Salvador will take over. Negotiations are ongoing with potential signings and players on the active roster last season who may get more time at the club. One of those players is Shaggy Martinez.
The executives at Cruz Azul, as well as head coach Raul Gutierrez plan to keep the 35-year-old Martinez around at least for another 6 months. The news of Shaggy’s contract being extended didn’t necessarily sit well with the fan base. What fans question is the decision to not extend Angel Romero, who for some reason garnered a lot of good will amongst the fan base despite not performing well with the club. However, the team does decide to extend Martinez. Is this a bad decision for Cruz Azul?
Why It Actually Makes Sense To Extend Shaggy Martinez
The criticism behind the extension of Shaggy Martinez is based on the fact that he’s an older player that does not have a prominent role in the team. That criticism is certainly fair, but what the executives at Cruz Azul are saying is that Shaggy is a good locker room presence, and he can provide some depth. He’s a player that can play virtually at any spot on the wing. He was an offensive wing player that was sent to play right and left back as the years went on.
One of the things that fans have to keep in mind is that Cruz Azul needs to have Mexican players on the squad. Although Shaggy has been essentially surpassed by youngster Rodrigo Huescas in the battle for a spot in that back line there’s some value in keeping Shaggy on the squad. Granted, he can’t be expected to be a key contributor at this point. However, Cruz Azul did suffer from lack of depth at certain positions. That helped both Huescas, and Rafael Guerrero emerge as viable options for Raul Gutierrez. Is Shaggy’s presence holding back younger players? That may very well be the case.
The Team Is Looking For New Players, and Shopping Ivan Morales
As we mentioned, the situation at Cruz Azul is kind of awkward at this point. Carlos Lopez de Silanes knows he’s out yet, he’s currently the one handling all of the negotiations with the players that the team wants to keep or bring on. Luis Miguel Salvador would then arrive at a team that’s essentially already set, and expected to take responsibility for a squad he did not build? That doesn’t make any sense, but if we’re honest about it, plenty of things haven’t made sense at Cruz Azul for years!
In any case, Argentine attacking midfielder Ramiro Carrera seems to be the player they want to target. He would come in to directly replace Angel Romero. What fans are wondering about this move is where someone like Carrera would fit in the starting line up. You’ve got Antuna, and Rotondi on the wings with Carneiro or Estrada upfront. Unless Raul Gutierrez is looking to switch up his formation.
Ivan Morales has made headlines as of late saying that he wants to honor his contract with Cruz Azul. We’ve talked about this situation before. Of course, he wants to honor his contract; he makes 80 thousand dollars a month! He’s not going to find that on the open market in any league for a player with his credentials. The team wants him out so look for him to get loaned, we wouldn’t rule out a Liga MX destination somewhere like Puebla, Mazatlan, Querétaro or San Luis. He could look to revitalize his career in a spot like that.
