Gabriel Batistuta’s Fifth Season at Huracán: Confusion, Conflict, and a Calculated Gamble
By Mateo Ledesma – Senior Football Writer, Revista Fútbol Federal
Gabriel Batistuta’s fifth season in charge of Huracán will not be remembered for silverware or definitive answers. Instead, it will be remembered as the year everything felt uncertain, tactically, institutionally, emotionally. And yet, it may prove to be the most important season of all.
If Batistuta’s first four years were about restoring identity and credibility, his fifth was about something far more uncomfortable: restraint. Patience. And trust in a plan that many inside and outside the club were not yet ready to embrace.
Results Without Resolution
On paper, the season looks respectable. Even promising.
Huracán finished third in the Torneo Apertura, just one point behind group winners Belgrano. They eliminated Atlético Tucumán 2–1 in the round of 16, before once again stumbling in the playoffs, this time losing on penalties after a breathless 2–2 draw with Rosario Central in the quarter-finals.
It was familiar pain. Another Batistuta side falling at the same hurdle. Another campaign without domestic glory.
Yet elsewhere, Huracán continued to punch above their weight.
They defeated River Plate to lift the Argentine International Super Cup, before falling narrowly to the same opponent in the Supercopa Argentina final. In continental competition, Huracán navigated a difficult Copa Libertadores group containing São Paulo, Cerro Porteño and Huachipato, finishing second before exiting in the second round, a tight 1–0 aggregate defeat to Vasco da Gama.
Competitive. Brave. Incomplete.
The Summer That Changed Everything
Then came the summer break and with it, a shift that would redefine the project.
Deiber Caicedo left for Al-Khaleej for $16 million.
Lucas Carrizo followed, joining Universidad de Chile for $3.5 million.
And Daniel Vega, Huracán’s Director of Football, signed nobody.
According to multiple sources within the club, what followed were intense, at times heated conversations between Vega and Batistuta. The manager wanted reinforcements to push Huracán to the next level. Vega wanted something else entirely.
After four and a half years of sustained investment in youth infrastructure, recruitment, and facilities, Vega demanded a return.
Not in theory.
On the pitch.
Youth Takes the Stage
With only the Torneo Clausura left to play for, Huracán began introducing youth in earnest.
The results were uneven. As Batistuta admitted repeatedly, youth brings inconsistency. There were moments of hesitation, uncertainty and tactical disorganisation. But there was also courage.
Huracán finished sixth, qualifying for the playoffs. The run ended immediately with a 2–1 defeat to Vélez, but by then the results felt secondary to the process unfolding in front of us.
For many of these young players, it was their first real exposure to pressure football — stadiums, expectations, mistakes that cost points. A learning curve played out in real time.
Experience Out, Youth In
The winter window only reinforced Vega’s stance.
Brian Aguirre left for Cruzeiro ($7.75m).
Tomohiro Yamaguchi returned to Japan with Tokyo-V ($7m).
Ibáñez and Rodríguez retired.
Rossi departed for a modest $325,000.
Belmonte left on loan.
Experience drained away.
Again, no signings arrived.
Vega stood firm. The investment had been made. Now it was time to collect.
The New Core of Huracán
This is the group Batistuta has been entrusted with.
Thiago Parga (GK, 20)
At 6’2″, Parga has the physical profile of a traditional Argentine goalkeeper. He commands his box, sets his feet early, and relies on positioning rather than theatrics. He is not a natural sweeper, nor a playmaker with his feet, and Batistuta has adjusted his build-up patterns accordingly. But between the posts, Parga offers calm, something invaluable in such a young side.
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Thiago Pérez (RB, 20)
Pérez is not a defender who waits. He attacks space aggressively, overlaps relentlessly and treats the right flank as his territory. His positional discipline is still developing, but his energy and bravery embody Batistuta’s Menotti-inspired football. He stretches opponents vertically and horizontally, an essential tool in this system.
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Matías Moisello (CB, 18)
Moisello is already cut from Batistuta’s preferred mould. At 6’2″, he is physically imposing, but it is his mentality that stands out. Aggressive without being reckless, fast across the ground, dominant in the air. He defends forward, stepping into duels rather than retreating. At 18, mistakes are inevitable but already showing signs of becoming a defensive leader alongside Daniel González.
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Tomás Delogu (DM, 20)
Delogu is the spine of this rebuild. Tall, powerful, and tactically obedient, he shields the defence and accelerates transitions. He does not chase attention; he enables others. Signed for $300,000 at 16, he already looks like the embodiment of Vega’s philosophy, intelligent investment, patient development, tangible return.
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Tahiel Peralta (CM, 21)
The project’s heartbeat. Peralta is no longer a promise, he is a reference point. Over 100 appearances have shaped him into a player comfortable with responsibility. He carries the ball through pressure, creates overloads and supplies the final pass. That he is now one of the senior voices at 21 says everything about Huracán’s evolution.
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Iván Urtasun (CM, 19)
Urtasun plays with clarity. He scans early, passes decisively and understands timing. His runs into the box are calculated, not hopeful. Still physically developing, he compensates with intelligence and courage. In a midfield already short on experience, his composure stands out.
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Agustín Moreyra (RW, 20)
Moreyra thrives in moments others overlook. He finishes moves rather than initiates them, arriving late at the far post, exploiting defensive lapses. Six goals and four assists in the Clausura underline his efficiency. He is not flashy, he is effective.
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Ivo Agmon (LW, 18)
Agmon is chaos by design. Dual-footed, fearless and explosive, he attacks full-backs relentlessly. At 5’7″, he survives on speed, balance, and audacity. Signed for just $3,900, his value has already multiplied, not just financially, but stylistically. He gives Huracán unpredictability.
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Aaron Silva (ST, 22)
Silva leads with presence. Strong in the air, sharp on the ground, composed inside the area. He occupies centre-backs, opens lanes for runners and finishes chances with maturity. At 22, he is young but among this group, he is already a reference.
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The Question That Defines Everything
So, is Daniel Vega right?
Is this insistence on youth promotion a bold act of vision or a dangerous gamble that risks stagnation and regression?
There is no easy answer.
What is clear is that Huracán are no longer buying shortcuts. They are betting on development, identity and patience. The lack of experience will cost them points. It already has. But the potential upside sporting and financial is undeniable.
Gabriel Batistuta enters his sixth season with the youngest squad of his tenure and perhaps the most fragile. But also the most malleable.
Confusing? Yes.
Risky? Absolutely.
But if this works if even half of these players mature into reliable first-team contributors then Huracán’s fifth season under Batistuta will be remembered not as a year of failure, but as the moment the foundations finally set.
The Gaffers Lounge 
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