Buenos Aires, Feb 15 (NA) — Amid poor results from Marcelo Gallardo, with 11 defeats in 18 matches, River Plate is considering the possibility of a new coach. From a list of several names, Santiago Solari, Pablo Aimar, Hernán Crespo, and Eduardo Coudet are the ones of most interest to the management. The first name on the list is Santiago Solari, who began his coaching career in 2013 when he joined the youth ranks of Real Madrid. After a good run of results, he was confirmed as the head coach. He later had a stint at Defensa y Justicia, with which he won the 2020 Copa Sudamericana, the club's first international title. In 2021, he took over at São Paulo FC and won the Campeonato Paulista, ending the club's long title drought. During that period, he was part of a very successful cycle where the team won both domestic and international titles, including the Copa Libertadores. It is from that experience that they want him at the club, but this time as the sole head coach. He later returned to the youth national team structure and remained linked to the development of footballers. In 2015, in his first stint as a head coach, he led the team to finals and secured qualification for the Copa Libertadores, quickly establishing himself as one of the country's most promising young coaches. In 2017, he took over at Club Tijuana and then coached Racing Club, where he won the 2018-19 Superliga, the club's first league title in five years. Later, he had international experience at Internacional, finishing as runner-up in the Brasileirão, and at Celta de Vigo in La Liga. In 2023, he returned to Internacional and later took over at Atlético Mineiro, solidifying an offensive and competitive profile in each of his teams. Other names also under consideration, but with much less consideration, are: Ricardo Gareca, who comes from coaching the Chilean national team with poor results, and Martín Demichelis, who could have his revenge after his stint in 2023/2024. Pablo Aimar, the current youth national teams coach, is another name that is running a bit further behind. Since 2022, he has served as an assistant coach to Lionel Scaloni in the senior national team, part of the technical staff that won the 2022 World Cup and the 2021 Copa América. The last name that has been mentioned the most, even for several years, is that of Eduardo Coudet. Hernán Crespo, an old acquaintance who has had more opportunities to be a coach, seems to be the one with the most consideration.
