This Tuesday, Pumas UNAM officially presented three new signings ahead of the Liga MX Clausura 2018 tournament. The team from Mexico City must make a change and surely add a few more players for this upcoming competition as Los Felinos finished dead last in the Apertura 2017 tournament. David Patiño remained as the head coach for Los Capitalinos, taking charge of the team after failed efforts by Paco Palencia and Sergio Egea. These three players are all very talented and should help Pumas UNAM get back on track to being a consistent playoff side, here is a rundown of these fresh signings.
Yuber Asprilla
Asprilla has played his entire career in his native Colombia, he is a youth product od one of the most prestigious teams in his home country, Millonarios. The 25-year-old did start his professional career with the team from Bogota then had stints with various other Colombian teams. (Once Caldas, Deportivo Pasto, La Equidad, Envigado FC and Alianza Petrolera) Asprilla is the typical export that is seen from Colombia that hits the Liga MX, a pacey winger. Players like these have had various results in Mexican soccer but some names that quickly come to mind include Jefferson Cuero, Hernan Dario Burbano, Aviles Hurtado and Yimmi Chara. Asprilla is still young and does have some massive upside to him but there is no way of telling if he will succeed in the league as similar players like him have triumphed but also struggled massively.
Alejandro Arribas
Earlier in this offseason, Pumas UNAM made the surprising move of letting go of experienced centre-back Gerardo Alcoba to Santos Laguna. However, David Patiño has found an exact replacement for him in Spanish centre-back Alejandro Arribas. The 28-year-old defender is coming over from La Liga side Deportivo La Coruna and has played with other La Liga teams in the past like Rayo Vallecano, Osasuna and Sevilla. The Madrid native stands in at 6-foot and has some really similar characteristics to Alcoba making him an ideal replacement.
Matias Alustiza
Finally, is the most important signing Pumas UNAM may make this offseason, 33-year-old striker Matias Alustiza. Even though his age may suggest he is way past his prime, his numbers back him up as the Argentine striker had 13 goals in 2017 for Atlas. Before that in 2016, “El Chavo” managed to score 15 total goals in the Liga MX with Puebla. The Capital City team have relied heavily on Nicolas Castillo since his arrival in Mexico and Alustiza will certainly relieve some pressure off the Chilean striker. Despite his age, the Argentine has proven to be one of the most consistent, clinical forwards in Mexico over the past few years.
