Two of Mexico’s most talented young prospects could be heading to Liga MX teams in the near future. Would this hamper their development, or actually help them grow since they’ll likely be playing on a weekly basis? The first case that we’re going to explore is that of Diego Lainez. Lainez was never really able to become even a regular rotation player for Real Betis. This season he was loaned out to S.C. Braga. So far this season he hasn’t been able to find consistency with his new team. Although he played rather well in his final outing with the team before the World Cup.
That final game before the World Cup break gave Lainez a glimmer of hope that he might become a more consistent player with the team in the new year. However, Rayados are already looking into making him an offer that he can’t refuse to return to Liga MX. At 22 years old he would still have at least a couple of seasons in Europe to try and chase the dream if he wanted to or was able to find teams. Before ultimately making a return to make big money in Liga MX or the MLS at still a young age. If Rayados’ offer is big enough though, his European dream may be vacationing on a yacht, and not necessarily starring in a Champions League final.
Marcelo Flores May Also End Up In Liga MX
Marcelo Flores is the other young Mexican prospect that could be headed to Liga MX. He’s currently on loan to Real Oviedo in Spain. He’s had a ton of trouble finding consistent minutes with the first team. On top of that the team is not doing well, and Grupo Pachuca, who owns the Spanish side needs to act quickly if they don’t want to be dealing with relegation issues. Grupo Pachuca recently took over the club from Grupo Carso, another Mexican entity. The idea was that Pachuca had more experience managing football clubs than the owners of America Movil. That experience has not been beneficial on the field at all!
Coming back to Flores though, what Grupo Pachuca seemingly want to do is use the same loan that they have with Arsenal to get Flores to play for their Liga MX side Club Leon. Even though both teams are essentially part of the same group that doesn’t necessarily mean that legally Flores could be transferred to Leon without the consent of Arsenal. We don’t anticipate Arsenal to be overjoyed by this idea of loaning out Flores to a Liga MX. He’s one of their young gems as well, and loaning him to Mexico could hurt his value for future loans or even an outright sale.
Why A Move Would Be A Worse Idea For Flores Than For Lainez
A move from Lainez back to Liga MX would be an admission that he wasn’t good enough for the European game. He would be coming back knowing that he’s got at least a few years making good money to try and re-establish himself as a Liga MX star. Personally for him it could be a tough thing to admit, but it may just be his time to face reality.
Marcelo Flores not too long ago was an 18 year old that was on the bench for Arsenal. Sure, some kids at 18 have exploded at Arsenal, and that hasn’t been Marcelo yet. Remaining in Europe is pretty much the only way though that he’ll still have a shot to become a global star. Coming to Leon would be detrimental to his progression as a player. It would also hurt his value and his chances to get loaned out to another European club. The two guys are young enough to keep grinding. The big bucks, though, that Liga MX can offer might be too tempting.
