Cruz Azul: What will it take for La Máquina to sign back Jonathan “Cabecita” Rodríguez?

Even if Cruz Azul started the season as one of the top contenders to win a Liga MX title once again, s they were one of the teams that added key players in positions where they needed to improve, as games passed by, their performances started diminishing, especially since they couldn’t find a striker that could score consistently.

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The departure of Jonathan “Cabecita” Rodríguez after Clausura 2022 had already started, left Cruz Azul with a hole on the offense that Juan Reynoso tried to fill by acquiring Paraguayan striker Iván Morales, who arrived at La Máquina after one quarter of the season had already been played.

Morales became the starting forward for Reynoso late in the season, once Brayan Angulo, who wasn’t going through a good streak, decided to rescind his contract to join Brazilian side Santos FC, as he needed a fresh start away from Liga MX.

The only striker that has been helpful for La Máquina’s aspirations is Santiago Giménez, who scored three goals in the regular season and assisted once, but a lack of trust from Reynoso has costed him the starting role, hence diminishing his opportunities of making an impact.

Jonathan Rodríguez could return

After forcing his departure to Saudi Arabian soccer, where he joined Al-Nassr for $5.6 million even if his market value is set at $8.5 million, “Cabecita” Rodríguez hasn’t been ale to adapt to his team and the different soccer style.

So far, he’s played six games out of the 10 possible apparitions, but he’s only scored one goal and given his poor performance he lost his place in the starting XI, something that has also costed him the chance of been considered for the roster of Uruguay National Team.

“Cabecita” knows that his best shot for making it to Qatar 2022 and recovering his level would be to return to Mexico and given the lack of goals that La Máquina has showed during the semester, it would only make sense to pursue his addition.

How much will La Máquina have to pay for him?

Now that Juan Reynoso has one foot out of Cruz Azul, it would be easier to convince Rodríguez to return to Cruz Azul with a new project, but La Máquina will have to negotiate his return by paying at least the $5.6 million that they received from Al-Nassr back in January.

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