Racing signs Barinaga and Matias Perez to cover two defensive emergencies

Racing had a busy Thursday, with two medical exams back to back. First through the clinic doors was Juan Barinaga, followed shortly after by Matias Perez. Neither will play this weekend, of course, but both are now just one step away from signing on as reinforcements for the Academia, addressing two urgent needs the coaching staff had been flagging for weeks.

Let's start with the fullback. Barinaga arrives on a one-year loan from Boca, with a purchase option that includes a clause tied to meeting certain objectives. That's no small detail for a club that needed fresh legs at right back following the departure of Gaston Martirena, who has already been confirmed as a new signing for Nacional of Uruguay.

The other name is Matias Perez, a center back who came up through Lanus and had most recently been playing for Cerro Porteño. There are no strings attached in his case: Racing is buying 100 percent of his rights for 2.7 million dollars. It's a direct answer to another problem that surfaced suddenly three weeks ago, when Marco Di Cesare fractured his right ankle fibula, leaving Juan Pablo Vojvoda's team short on options in the back line.

Perez was the only one of the two willing to speak publicly before putting pen to paper, and he didn't hide his excitement:

I see it as a great opportunity. It's a big step for my career, especially at this age. It's good for the club (Cerro Porteño) too, because it was a good sale.Matias Perez

A fullback in search of minutes

Barinaga's situation tells a different story. At Boca he had fallen out of favor with Rodolfo Arruabarrena and no longer figured in the coaching staff's immediate plans. Given that, the player himself gave the green light to leave on loan and look for the playing time in Avellaneda that he wasn't getting at the Xeneize. Before this stint at Boca, Barinaga had played for Belgrano, the club where he first made a name for himself as an attack-minded right back.

For Vojvoda, both signings are aimed at solving very specific needs rather than just adding names for the sake of it. A fullback with room to grow and earn his place, and a center back brought in to fill the spot left open by Di Cesare's injury. Racing has already sorted out on paper what was a headache just three weeks ago. Now both players just need to pull on the jersey and start getting minutes on the field.