Pumas Close Out the Transfer Window with Solari as Coach and the Return of Chino Huerta

Seven arrivals, six departures and a name that changed everything in the final hours of the transfer window. Pumas now has its roster set for the Apertura 2026, and it closed the transfer book with a mix of nostalgia, surprise and a bit of bad luck.

The Pumas front office considers its business done, confident that the club finally has the pieces to fight for the title. It's the same old dream: an eighth star that has eluded the club since the Clausura 2011. Eleven and a half years of waiting that are starting to weigh on Ciudad Universitaria.

The Departures That Stung

It wasn't all about building up. Pumas also had to say goodbye to some important pieces. The most painful loss, without question, was Efrain Juarez on the bench. The coach wanted to stay on for this tournament, but differences with the front office following last semester ended up sealing his exit.

On the field, the big blow was losing Jordan Carrillo. The midfielder was coming off a solid semester with the university squad, and Pumas tried to buy his rights from Santos Laguna. But Chivas moved faster in the negotiation and landed the player, leaving a hole in midfield that won't be easy to fill.

Those two departures were joined by Piero Quispe, Ulises Rivas, Guillermo Martinez and Cesar Garza, rounding out a market of exits that hit key positions on the team.

Solari and the Return of Chino Huerta

To replace Juarez, Pumas turned to Esteban Solari. The Argentine isn't walking into unfamiliar territory: he wore the Pumas jersey as a player, and now he's back to take on the challenge from the bench, with a revamped roster in hand to kick off his project.

Among the new signings, the one that generated the most buzz at first was Sebastian Cordova, given his pedigree and his knowledge of Liga MX. That excitement didn't last long: during the Leagues Cup he suffered a complete tear of the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and will miss the rest of the season. A tough blow just as he was starting to settle in with the team.

But the name that really got the fan base fired up arrived right at the closing bell of the transfer window: Cesar Huerta is back at Pumas after his time at Anderlecht in Belgium. Chino returns to a team that has gone six games without a win across Liga MX and the Leagues Cup, so his arrival couldn't come at a better time. He was one of the club's standout players before heading to Europe, and now he'll take on a leading role in Solari's project.

The rest of the new additions (Israel Luna, Victor Arteaga, Cristian Calderon and Luciano Herrera) round out a roster arriving with fresh faces, a coach who knows the club inside and out, and the same old mandate: fight for the title.