When the final whistle blew against Tucumán and our season ended, I thought the hard part was finished. But in football, the moment one story closes, another one begins. And sometimes, the period between seasons can feel even more demanding than the months spent on the pitch. The winter break is short, unforgiving, and brutally honest. It forces you to confront your club, its limits, its strengths, its future.
And this winter, we had no choice but to confront all of it at once.
THE MEETING THAT SET THE TONE
A week after the players scattered to recharge their bodies and souls, I sat down in my office with Daniel Vega, our Director of Football. He walked in carrying thick folders, a laptop, and the expression of a man who hadn’t slept more than four hours a night since December. I know that feeling well.
“Boss,” he said as he sat down, “We have a lot to get through.”
He wasn’t lying.
During my playing career, off-season meetings were simple: renewals, departures, maybe a marquee signing. As a manager—especially under a transfer embargo—you learn that every decision matters 100 times more. Every contract is a strategic pillar. Every departure is a hole you must fill using youth, structure, and faith.
Daniel slid the renewal list across my desk.
CONTRACT EXTENSIONS: SECURING THE HEART OF THE TEAM
Five names. Five pillars of everything we built last year.
Luca Babino – 3 years
He earned it. A kid who came to the first team without fear, who played with maturity far beyond his age. He’s no longer just a promising youngster, this season he becomes a core squad member.
Matko Miljevic – 4 years
This one might be the most symbolic. Last season, he didn’t just grow, he exploded. His performances in the Copa Sudamericana were the work of a player who understands the responsibility of wearing this badge. A four-year deal tells you everything about our trust in him.
Sebastián Meza – 4 years
He began as a backup. He ended as a champion. The number one shirt is his, and the security of four more years gives us stability in a position where stability is everything.
César Ibáñez – 4 years
If anyone embodied our tactical identity, aggressive, relentless, vertical, it was Ibáñez. Keeping him was non-negotiable.
Lucas Carrizo – 4 years
Our rock at the back, especially after returning from injury. He earned the renewal through courage and consistency.
As Daniel spoke, I felt something I rarely allow myself: relief. In a season where we cannot bring new faces in, tying down the players who define us is the closest thing to a transfer market victory.
THE GOODBYES
But football is balance. With continuity comes farewell.
Loans Ending
Five players returned to their parent clubs:
- Daniel Zabala
- Emmanuel Ojeda
- Agustín Urzi
- Luciano Giménez
- Nicolás Goitea
Two centre backs.
A defensive midfielder.
A winger.
A striker.
Five roles that must now be filled from within. I knew this would test us but I also knew our academy had been preparing for this moment.
Retirement
Fabio Pereyra hung up his boots.
I will treasure the image of him walking onto the pitch in the Sudamericana final. A warrior’s final bow. These players don’t come around often—men who give everything for every shirt they wear.
Sales
As Daniel read out the list of outgoing transfers, I flipped through the reports and numbers:
- Cristian Núñez – $200k
- Alexis Dulón – $250k
- Enzo Luna – $145k
- Patricio Pizarro – $75k
- Leonardo Sequeira – $2.7M
- Diego Vega – $195k
- Santiago Luján – $225k
Necessary business. Funds help keep the club stable. And with no ability to buy, our path forward is clear: trust the academy or break under pressure.
THE RISE OF THE YOUTH: A NEW GENERATION STEPS FORWARD
Last season, our Under-20s became champions. Our Reserves finished second. Those achievements weren’t accidents—they were a sign of depth, of culture, of young men who wanted to fight for Huracán’s future.
So Daniel and I identified who was ready for the next step.
Promoted to the First Team:
Natanael Samaniego (21), Maximo Palazzo (20), Leandro Figueredo (22)
Three centre backs to reinforce depth after losing Nervo, Pereyra, and Zabala. All three impressed me in training—hungry, raw, but committed.
Sebastián Ramírez (25)
A winger who returns from loan sharper, more decisive, more mature. He replaces Urzi as our rotation option on both flanks.
Matías Gómez (22)
A central midfielder with intelligence and composure. He steps into the gap left by Ojeda.
Marcelo Pérez (24)
A striker elevated to compete with Ramírez and Chiquichano. Three options, three different profiles.
Luca Babino (20)
Now a full first-team player.
Ezequiel Méndez (18)
A defensive midfielder who already plays with the serenity of a 30-year-old. He will help rotate Gil, who is entering his final stretch of elite football.
This group completes a senior squad of 26 players—26 players who understand the ideas, the structure, the suffering, and the rewards that define our identity.
REFLECTING ON LAST SEASON’S SUCCESS
Daniel congratulated me for winning Manager of the Year. I appreciated his words, but awards belong to teams, not individuals. My name is on the plaque, but every player and staff member contributed a piece of it.
Then Daniel laid out next season’s objectives:
- Qualify for the playoffs again
- Get out of the Copa Libertadores group stage
The Libertadores draw is tough, but fair. Barcelona SC (Ecuador), Libertad (Paraguay), Nacional (Uruguay)—three clubs with history, power, and identity. But so are we, now.
We earned our right to be on that stage.
PRE-SEASON: NOT ABOUT RESULTS, ABOUT LEGS
With so little time between seasons, our pre-season had one goal: restore fitness.
We stayed home. Low travel. High intensity.
- 5–2 vs Nueva Chicago
- 2–1 vs Los Andes
- 1–1 vs Chacarita Juniors
The performances were solid, not spectacular. But the data showed what I needed: the players’ physical levels climbed week by week. After the exhaustion of last season’s run—especially the Sudamericana—this was the priority.
LOOKING AHEAD TO THE SEASON OPENER
Our first match of the new season is at home against Barracas Central.
We will be without Waller, Cabral, and Chiquichano, three players who shaped so many of our best moments. But football doesn’t wait until you are comfortable. It never has.
This year, we aim to evolve tactically.
Cleaner possession.
More organised aggression.
And yes, more clean sheets.
But never at the expense of our footballing identity.
We attack.
We press.
We play without fear.
That does not change.
THE LAST THING DANIEL SAID
As he stood up to leave, Daniel paused with his hand on the door.
“Oh—one more thing, Boss. I’ve signed my new three-year deal. We continue together.”
I smiled.
Continuity. Stability. Trust.
In a football world defined by constant noise and chaos, those three words mean everything.
THE WINTER BREAK IN ONE SENTENCE
We lost players, we promoted youth, we strengthened our core, and we prepared ourselves for a season where Huracán must rise again—not because we surprised people once, but because this is who we are now.
The work begins again.
Season Two starts now.
The Gaffers Lounge 
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