River Plate And Boca Juniors Crash Out Of The Argentinian Championship
River Plate and Boca Juniors will forever be the two biggest names in the 'Liga Profesional' in Argentina, however these are turbulent times and both clubs have just crashed out of the national league championship at the quarter-final stage.
Both sides lost at home to 'smaller' clubs in a depressing week for their fans and another bad tournament for their domestic and global reputations. Not least with a Club World Cup on the horizon and the likes of Bayern Munich and Inter Milan lying in wait.
During the calendar year, Argentina has two league tournaments. The first of which is known as the 'aperatura' and after a period of league matches it has now reached the play-off stage. At least this means Boca and River will have another shot at league glory in 2025 but the first half of the campaign has ended in tears at the quarter final stage.
Ignacio Schor of Platense celebrates after scoring the last penalty during a penalty shoot-out after ... More the Torneo Apertura Betano 2025 quarterfinals match between River Plate and Platense at Estadio Mas Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti on May 20.
Last night River Plate was shocked at home by Platense, a relatively tiny club that plays its home games just 5km from River Plate's gigantic Estadio Monumental. For context, River Plate sits fourth in the annual table with just one loss from 16 games. Platense sits in 13th place with just six wins in 16. This was a shock on every level.
River Plate needed a penalty 12 minutes into stoppage time just to take the game to 1-1 and a penalty shoot-out despite having 74% of the ball and 21 shots at goal. The hosts missed two penalties after the final whistle and Platense players erupted with joy on the pitch as they advanced to the semi-finals.
Platense defeated Racing Club in the previous round so the team is on an incredible run, but that won't be much consolation for River Plate, who would have been looking forward to home advantage in the semi-finals against San Lorenzo. This has to be considered a failure for the hosts who have the best squad in the league and ambitions of continental glory this season. Anything can happen in knock-out football but this River Plate team has flattered to deceive too often in recent times.
Edinson Cavani (L) of Boca Juniors and teammates leave the pitch after losing the Torneo Apertura ... More Betano 2025 quarterfinals match between Boca Juniors and Independiente at Estadio Alberto J. Armando on May 19.
Boca Juniors is having a considerably worse period in its history than River. The team aren't playing in the Copa Libertadores this season and now for the best part of three years they haven't been winning the league either. They lost 1-0 at home to rivals Independiente in the play-off quarter finals this weekend.
Boca were embarrassed before the season started when they failed to qualify for South America's top club competition. Boca has had plenty of off-field issues in recent years and on it performances have been disastrous. The only thing that might save some face would be success against rivals River Plate, but Boca has only managed to win one of their last six 'Superclasico' derby games.
MIAMI, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 05: A general view inside the venue as the LED screen displays the final ... More groups during the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup Draw at Telemundo Studios on December 05, 2024 in Miami, Florida.
Both clubs will play their next league games in July, when they will have a second chance at domestic silverware. However before that there is the small task of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup in the U.S.A to contend with.
Both Boca and River will face top international teams this summer and must improve if they are to get any kind of results. Failure to do so won't be a good look for football in Argentina, and worse still, potential defeats to clubs from Japan or New Zealand would result in a catastrophe for the name of these giant football institutions.
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Advertisement Is that enough for a 25-year-old who is one of the best around at the moment and could still earn vast sums elsewhere in Europe? Even if affordability is not an issue for Al Hilal, there is the optics of a PIF-owned club buying the star player from Newcastle, another PIF-owned club. It would be the first deal of its kind within the group and would surely have negative ramifications for how Newcastle's supporters view the ownership, whose popularity was buoyed by leading the club to their first trophy in 56 years last season. Jordan Campbell Chelsea have no desire to pursue a move for Isak even if he is now looking to leave St James' Park. There has certainly been strong interest in the past but Newcastle's valuation of the forward meant a transfer never got close. But the situation has changed as Chelsea have already strengthened their attack this summer and are very happy with the business that they have done. They feel they have the right balance and depth. Striker Liam Delap was signed from Ipswich Town for £30m and versatile attacker Joao Pedro, who has already led the line for Chelsea at the Club World Cup, was bought from Brighton & Hove Albion for a fee in excess of £50m. Winger Jamie Gittens has joined from Borussia Dortmund too. They are considering adding another attacking player, depending on departures, however they are focusing on talent such as Xavi Simons, Morgan Rogers and Alejandro Garnacho. The cost to sign Isak is surely an issue too, especially given the player's potential wage demands would make him one of, if not the highest, earner at Stamford Bridge. Simon Johnson If there's a team who could afford to go and get Isak, it probably is the current European champions. They earned another €17m this week as part of a sell-on clause when Liverpool signed Ekitike and their coffers have been swelled by at least £200m through winning the Champions League and finishing as runners-up in the Club World Cup. They have previous for big-money buys too, smashing the transfer world record to sign Neymar from Barcelona for €222m in 2017. Advertisement These days, however, PSG are a little more reserved (relatively) and head coach Luis Enrique has developed a finely tuned culture and system which does not necessarily use a conventional No 9. At of the start of this window, Isak had not been among PSG's priorities, but it remains to be seen as to whether that may change now he is publicly agitating for a move. Randal Kolo Muani and Goncalo Ramos may both move on, which would create space for a striker, but whether PSG are prepared to commit so much money to one centre forward is another matter entirely. Real Madrid's Rodrygo has been linked but he is not currently in the club's plans, while the next player to arrive at PSG is most likely to be Bournemouth centre-back Illia Zabarnyi. Adam Crafton You have to go back to January 2022 for when Isak, then at Real Sociedad, was first under strong consideration by Mikel Arteta and Arsenal. The club did plenty of work to scope out a deal for the then-22-year-old, and hoped to secure him for less than his £75m release clause. Even though Isak joined Newcastle later that year, Arteta's admiration for the striker didn't wane and he was above Viktor Gyokeres and Benjamin Sesko on the Arsenal manager's list of targets heading into this window. Understandably, at the time, getting him out of Newcastle was perceived as incredibly difficult and expensive, especially as he still has three years remaining on his contract, so Arsenal looked elsewhere, specifically Gyokeres, who is set to sign for an initial €63.5million from Sporting CP. The other factor worth noting is that Arsenal, Gyokeres' arrival aside, have already spent north of £100m this summer and still want a wide player, so it doesn't seem financially plausible that they would target Isak in addition to Gyokeres and further signings. Dan Sheldon A new striker was the prime order of business for Manchester United this summer; instead, they have spent more than £130m on two forwards who play off the very front. So club executives are still surveying the market for centre-forwards. Ollie Watkins and Nicolas Jackson have been discussed recently. Isak has not featured before now, however. Advertisement While Isak is one of the world's best in that position, Newcastle's hardline stance meant United looked elsewhere. Even now, the enormous cost of signing Isak makes a pursuit implausible. And besides, would he really trade the Champions League for a team who finished 15th in the Premier League last season? Should he even be persuaded to take a leap of faith to the INEOS project, the financials would require huge finessing, given United'a primary objective at this stage is sales. Garnacho is a valuable player to trade but Newcastle are well stocked in wide areas. Laurie Whitwell Perhaps had Erling Haaland not signed up to Manchester City for the next decade and Omar Marmoush not joined the party in January, City may have made room for such a special player. But with those two striker options it is impossible to see how they could accommodate Isak as Haaland has to play centrally. Yes, he could theoretically play off the left wing but would he want to play that role? Guardiola is also looking to trim his squad having added eight players since January. It is a non-starter. Jordan Campbell No doubt Isak has the stature to interest Bayern, but this deal is almost inconceivable. The fee being demanded would be prohibitive and he would have to accept playing as a left-sided forward again, rather than in the central role occupied by Harry Kane. Bayern were willing to spend at such a level on Florian Wirtz because he was only 22, he was German, and he was nowhere near realising his potential. Add that to the slightly awkward positioning dynamics — and Bayern seemingly having their sights trained on Liverpool's Diaz and Stuttgart's Nick Woltemade — and it's difficult to make a case, even if Isak was interested in a return to the Bundesliga, where he spent two years at Borussia Dortmund. Seb Stafford-Bloor When Isak was making a name for himself at Real Sociedad three years ago, Real Madrid did consider signing him. But this was before the arrivals of Kylian Mbappe and Endrick, and Madrid did not push for the Sweden striker as they were not sufficiently convinced by the potential fees involved. Isak ended up moving to Newcastle for £63m in August 2022. Now, it is even more unlikely, with Madrid believing that they have a surplus of options in attack. It is more likely that a forward will leave than one will join. If there was space in the squad it would not be easy to sign a striker like Isak at this stage in his career due to the cost involved. And anyway, Madrid have far more urgent positions to strengthen — particularly defence and midfield. Advertisement It would not be surprising if Isak liked the idea of returning to La Liga, where he excelled earlier in his career, but right now, a move to Madrid is almost unthinkable. Guillermo Rai If the starting point for Isak is £120m, then forget about it. The fee would be an Italian record at a time when no Italian team is in a position to pay anywhere near it. Nobody. As a mental exercise, though, Milan could use a centre-forward. Alvaro Morata looks on his way to Como and Santi Gimenez hasn't convinced since his move in the winter. James Horncastle The first new signing of the summer at Juventus was a striker. Jonathan David joined from Lille on a free transfer and unsuccessful attempts have been made to make Kolo Muani's loan from PSG permanent. Dusan Vlahovic is entering the final year of his contract and seems inclined to run it down. The inability to raise a fee for the Serb and get Serie A's highest paid player off the wage bill is a stumbling block. James Horncastle The club's owners Oaktree want the team to get younger this window. As such the average age of Inter's signings up until now has been in the low 20s. One of them, Ange-Yoan Bonny, is a striker and will develop behind Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram. Inter's focus for the moment is on persuading Atalanta to part with African Player of the Year, Ademola Lookman. James Horncastle Antonio Conte is renowned for pushing his owners to go the distance for a striker. That was the case with Romelu Lukaku at Inter. Aurelio De Laurentiis, the Napoli president, has gone big in the past, too, breaking the club record to buy Osimhen during the COVID-19 pandemic. But Isak would cost double that and Napoli have already bought Lorenzo Lucca this summer. James Horncastle The Catalans, and specifically sporting director Deco, would love to have the chance to sign Isak. Unfortunately for Barca, they can't. Deco admired Isak for a long time, seeing him as a standout candidate to be Barcelona's next No 9, a role they will need to tackle next summer when Robert Lewandowski gets to the end of his contract. Advertisement Isak also has a proven record at La Liga after his successful spell at Real Sociedad but Barca are not in a position to be anywhere near the figures this deal would involve. They had to pull out of their quest to sign Diaz this summer because they could not meet Liverpool's demands and a deal for Isak is expected to be way above what was discussed for the Colombian. Besides being outpriced, Barcelona are also struggling with their salary limit in La Liga and are set for another race against time to register their latest signings, Joan Garcia and Marcus Rashford, before the start of the season. Pol Ballus Is it really so ridiculous to imagine? That Tottenham Hotspur might not just smash their transfer record, but more than double it, to shock the world? Yes. Yes it is. There is more chance of Daniel Levy announcing a rebrand of the home kit to red shirts with white sleeves than there is of Spurs signing Isak. Tottenham already have a very good No 9 who is proven in the Premier League in Dominic Solanke. They paid an initial £55m for him last summer — with another £10m in potential add-ons — and he shone last year with his all-round game. Isak may well cost double or even close to three times Solanke's fee to get out of Newcastle. There is a lot more that Spurs could do with that much money. And that is before we even get to the thorny question of how exactly Isak — one of the most in-demand strikers in the world — would fit into Spurs' wage structure. Jack Pitt-Brooke Even if Isak stays, there will be at least some sort of a negative fallout. There always is when any player communicates a desire to move elsewhere, especially one who is arguably the world's best striker and one adored by Newcastle supporters. A period of reintegration will be required. For a start, Isak is yet to play a pre-season friendly and, unless he belatedly joins the tour, will not get the opportunity to do so until the weekend before the start of the Premier League campaign. Advertisement But Newcastle's need for a striker was already acute. Will Osula is currently leading the line and Sean Neave, the 18-year-old academy graduate who is yet to make his competitive debut, is the only other out-and-out centre-forward available to Howe. Having even a dissatisfied Isak in the starting XI next season would improve the present incarnation of a striker-less Newcastle. Isak scored a third (23) of Newcastle's 68 Premier League goals last season. Only Nottingham Forest's reliance on Chris Wood really compared. With a back-up forward proving tricky to acquire — Brentford's valuation of 28-year-old Yoane Wissa is far higher than Newcastle's and Ekitike has joined Liverpool — Eddie Howe would be better off with a distracted Isak than no striker at all. Contract talks had been intended and Newcastle would look to handsomely remunerate the forward, though whether they can match his market value due to profit and sustanability constraints is another matter. Howe has also intimated that handing Isak a higher pay packet may mean the wage budget needs trimming elsewhere, and he would also likely demand a release clause, or perhaps the promise of an exit should an elite club make an offer. Regardless, this situation is likely to alter how many Newcastle fans feel about Isak. Chris Waugh
