Ariel Holan in the running for the Universidad job to replace Andrés Lillini
Ariel Holan is being evaluated by the Pumas board, sources close to ESPN have confirmed, as one of the options to take the position of head coach, after the agreement they seemed to have with Ricardo 'Tuca' Ferretti fell through, prompting them to consider other names.
According to the sources, Ariel Holan is on a list of "experienced candidates" who are familiar with Mexican soccer, and the board is exploring their options, even though they were very close to reaching an agreement with 'Tuca' Ferretti last week.
Similarly, Chilean media outlets reported that Ariel Holan received an offer from Pumas after parting ways with Universidad Católica, a team from Chile.
So far, Pumas continues to search for the right coach after failing to make it to the playoffs in the Apertura 2022 season, which led to the dismissal of Andrés Lillini, who had been in charge of the team since July 2020.
Miguel Mejía Barón, the sports vice president, is in charge of finding the ideal candidate for the Mexico City-based team, and one of the first choices was Ricardo Ferretti, with whom he has worked for many years and knows well.
Although they had an initial agreement, 'Tuca' proposed the option of having Guillermo Vázquez as one of his assistant coaches, but 'Memo's' salary was an obstacle that delayed the negotiations.
ESPN also learned that 'Tuca' lowered his financial demands compared to what he was earning at Tigres, which was one of the highest salaries for a coach in the entire Liga MX.
Pumas is not in a hurry to find a replacement for Lillini, as the squad is still on vacation, which will end at the end of the month. The team will then report for medical exams and subsequently begin preseason training in early November.