The River Plate Sentinel
Market17 Jan 2028
Alexis González says no to Maritimo
“I listened, I thought about it, and I am staying. That is the whole story.” The clubs had agreed a fee. Alexis González had not agreed to go, which turned out to be the part that mattered.
The dugout17 Jan 2028
Lautaro Vargas keeps the receipts
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” River Plate may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Market17 Jan 2028
River Plate say no — this time
The offer from Kalamata for Lucas Martínez Quarta was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
Squad17 Jan 2028
Words exchanged at River Plate
Nico Paz and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Market17 Jan 2028
River Plate promote Benjamín Gutiérrez from within
The academy exists for exactly this morning. Benjamín Gutiérrez has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.
Market17 Jan 2028
Jorge Ruiz steps up from the River Plate academy
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Jorge Ruiz has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
Squad17 Jan 2028
Lucas Martínez Quarta falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
The dugout17 Jan 2028
Mauro Arambarri gets picked when it counts
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Mauro Arambarri is on it.
The dugout17 Jan 2028
Alejo Montero asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
In brief
- Squad Alejo Montero has seen what the next man earns
- Squad Matías Galarza has settled at River Plate
- The dugout The manager plants his flag on Juan Carlos Portillo