The Liga MX draft took place this Wednesday and Thursday and Queretaro made some very surprising moves. Los Gallos Blancos are clearly looking to compete in this upcoming Clausura 2018 as the team made some statement signings in this Liga MX draft.
The only first-team player that was lost in the last couple of days was Emanuel Villa, who joined Ascenso MX side, Celaya. Queretaro made four key signings on Wednesday that showed that the franchise is looking to really compete and avoid what has been seen in recent tournaments. One of the least surprising signings for Los Gallos was getting centre-back Hiram Mier on a permanent deal from Monterrey. The 28-year-old has been a consistent starter for the team in the past two tournaments but will definitely have to fight for his starting role in this upcoming Clausura 2018.
One of the main reasons Mier will need to fight for his starting role is because Queretaro also signed Diego Novaretti from Leon. The Argentine defender was a consistent starter for La Fiera in the Apertura 2016 but had some severe disciplinary issues that limited his playing time in the last two tournaments. The 32-year-old is very experienced and adds a tremendous physical presence standing in at 6-foot-4. The starting centre-back slots will be very contested on Luis Fernando Tena’s team with players like Mier, Novaretti, Miguel Angel Martinez and Alexis Perez.
The second most notable signing the Central Mexican team made was the acquisition of fullback Miguel Samudio from Club America. By many standards, Samudio did not have the best season of his career in the Apertura 2017 but still managed to be a consistent starter for Las Aguilas and get calls to the Paraguayan national team. The left-back spot was definitely a position that needed strengthening for Queretaro as players like Jonathan Bornstein and Luis Esqueda were being used throughout the Apertura 2017. Luis Fernando Tena needed to upgrade that role and Miguel Samudio was one of the best options domestically that he could have gone for.
The biggest signing of the draft for Queretaro and by far one of the most surprising by any Liga MX team was the signing of Edson Puch from Pachuca. This is the statement signing that showed the rest of the league that Los Gallos want to compete in the Clausura 2018. The Chilean forward had a rough Apertura 2017 as he was plagued by injury problems and only ended up starting five games for Los Tuzos. Before that, in two tournaments Puch managed to score 15 goals with Necaxa and easily become one of the best players in the league. Perhaps, the move to Pachuca was too overwhelming for Puch and the injury problems also did not help as well.
The 31-year-old will be the star player, the main man again with his new team like he was with Necaxa. This could boost his confidence and get him and Queretaro back on track in this Clausura 2018. When Luis Fernando Tena was appointed as Queretaro’s manager there was skepticism but it looks like he and new president Jaime Ordiales are looking to get the team back on top.
