Evaristo González: the year that was a “failure” for Peñarol and his differences with the ruling party, which lacks self-criticism

Editorial The transfer market for Uruguay's major soccer clubs has been heating up in recent hours, and after the returns of Facundo Batista and Washington Aguerre were confirmed, Evaristo González, manager and advisor for Peñarol, spoke of the “failure” that the year ended up being after losing the 2025 Uruguayan AUF League and was critical of his expectations for the ruling party. “We're coming off a bad 2025 season. Even though we started off very poorly, we improved by winning the Intermedio, the Clausura, and the Copa Uruguay, but the final result was bad, and that's what counts,” the opposition leader told Ovación, summing up the Aurinegro's year: “At Peñarol, which we know is the biggest club in Uruguay, the goal must always be to win the Uruguayan championship, and when you don't win, it becomes a failure, and that's what happened.” Evaristo also highlighted his “differences with the current administration” of Ignacio Ruglio, who, according to him, “has a hard time being self-critical.” In the same vein, he added: "So I don't see any prospects for change in the future. I would like to see profound changes in the way player signings are handled and in the transparency of the club, both in terms of job tenders and player signings. I believe that joining and returning to the AUF is essential. As the largest club in the country, it is a serious mistake that we are not involved in the governance of Uruguayan soccer. I have said this repeatedly over the past five years, and that is why I have made significant changes to the current leadership. Regarding Matías Arezo's continuity and Aguerre's signing, which has already been finalized, he said: "Nothing has been finalized yet. All of this has to be finalized, and we have not been informed of the amounts involved or the terms of the signings, which have not been disclosed. It's what I said before: transparency and teamwork are sorely lacking at Peñarol. We all understand that Arezo is an excellent number 9, that Aguerre had an excellent 2024 season, and that he did very well in Colombia." In any case, he emphasized that he wants to know the conditions: “These are signings that we clearly agree with, but we have to see what the conditions are, without compromising things at the club that could affect other possible signings,” he said. In the case of Arezo, Peñarol agreed on Monday with Gremio to keep the striker. According to Ovación's sources, the Carbonera institution has already reached an agreement with the Porto Alegre team for a new loan of the 23-year-old striker with a one-year extension for a value of around $400,000. Finally, he referred to the continuity of Diego Aguirre, who has a contract until 2026. "No discussion. The 11 executives sitting here understand that Aguirre is currently the most suitable technical director and technical team that Peñarol could have," he concluded.