Carlos Tevez has no time to waste at Independiente. He wants to mold his team to be able to fight at the top in 2014 and that is why this Thursday he already began to make the first decisions of the assembly of the squad that is coming on the red side of Avellaneda. There are eight players who are not a priority in his plan (one has already been sold) and he has already communicated to the management the positions that he urgently needs to strengthen.
The sporting year ended quickly for Independiente as they failed to qualify for the playoffs of the League Cup. However, 'Carlitos' immediately got down to work. He gave his coaches three days off, which he used to finalise the extension of his contract until 2026 and to define the first footballing issues for next year.
This Thursday he met again with the players at Villa Domínico and started with the purification of the squad, which is the first axis for the construction of the Diablo made in Apache. The first to emigrate is Tomás Pozzo, who was sold to Godoy Cruz for one million dollars for 70 percent.
There are seven other names on the relegated list: Martín Sarrafiore, Agustín Mulet, Edgar Elizalde, Baltasar Barcia, Sergio Ortiz, Martín Cauteruccio and Patricio Ostachuk. Every case is different.
Martin Cauteruccio will be relegated in Tevez's consideration. Photo: Marcelo Carroll
The first two have their relationship terminated and will not be renewed. Sarrafiore will be free and Mulet will have to return to Vélez (he was on loan). Elizalde, Barcia, Ortiz and Ostachuk are all players of the club with a current contract and they know that with Carlitos they will run from far back. For this reason, the door was opened for them to look for another destination to add filming.
Caute, meanwhile, has one more year of contract with the Reds, but Tevez warned him that his idea is to strengthen the attack and that he will be very covered. It remains to be seen if he can reach an agreement to terminate in the coming days.
At the same time, the coach will seek to promote youth players and that is why Santiago López, who is playing in the U17 World Cup in Indonesia with Diego Placente's Argentina National Team, will be part of the First Division preseason in Miami.
At just 17 years old, Santiago López has already made his debut in Independiente's Primera and Tevez will take him to the preseason in Miami.
Of course, he has already made it clear behind closed doors – and he has also done so publicly – that he needs to add quantity and quality. In what positions? "A central defender, a mixed midfielder and two strikers," Carlitos detailed what he will be looking for in this transfer market.
And he sent a message to the Board of Directors: "I'm not going to sign the contract yet because I want the leaders to fulfill what they promised me. I want a competitive team that can be champions," he said in an interview with ESPN.
Thus, Tevez has already begun to put pressure on the directors, with president Néstor Grindetti at the helm, not to relax and move in a pass book that is fundamental to the Apache's aspirations. When Independiente returns to work on December 26, the coach wants to see some new faces.