Athletico negotiates with idol Lucho González to replace Varini

After announcing, on the night of last Monday (23), the dismissal of coach Martín Varini, Athletico opened talks with the former player, Lucho Gonzalezto take over as technical director of the team for the remainder of the current season.

Lucho is an idol of Furacão, a team he defended between 2016 and 2021, winning the South American Championship twice, the Copa do Brasil, the Copa Suruga and the Campeonato Paranaense.. The information about the club’s interest in the Argentine was initially released by ge.com.

The tendency is that there will be agility in the decision for the new coach. Next Thursday (26), Rubro-Negro will face one of the most important matches of the centenary season, the second leg of the quarterfinals of the South American, against Racing, in Argentina.

If he signs a contract, Lucho will be the fifth coach to lead Furacão this season alone, after Juan Carlos Osorio, Cuca, assistant Juca Antonello and Uruguayan Martín Varini.

Identity with Athletico weighs in Lucho’s favor

At this moment, while there is no announcement of a new coach, the team is led by assistant coach, Juca Antonello.

Lucho’s advantage is his identity with Athletico, the fact that he knows the main leaders of the squad, such as defender Thiago Heleno and striker Pablo, as well as the good relationship he has with the technical director, Paulo Autuori.

Lucho González retired from playing for Athletico in 2021. He then began his career off the field, first as an assistant to Alberto Valentim at Furacão. He then had his first experience as a coach at Ceará.

The Argentinean only spent ten matches in charge of Vozão, with just one win, five losses and four draws, a 23.3% success rate. More recently, Lucho worked as Eduardo Coudet’s assistant at Internacional.

Lucho has already commanded Athletico in decisive Atletiba

Athletico’s assistant coach at the beginning of 2022, Lucho González had the opportunity to command the main team in the decisive Atletiba in the second leg of the semi-final of the 2022 Paraná Championship.

At the time, coach Alberto Valentim had been sent off in the first leg, played at the Ligga Arena, which ended in a 2-1 victory for the red-and-whites. In the return match, it was up to Lucho to try to lead the red-and-black comeback.

However, Furacão only drew with Coritiba, at Couto Pereira, 1-1, ending up eliminated from the competition. Coxa itself would end up as the champion of the edition, after beating Maringá in the final.