Santos Laguna wants to bring Gullit back to Mexico

The winter transfer window might still have a lot of movements in line for the Liga MX teams, and in recent hours the name of Carlos “Gullit” Peña has been linked to Santos Laguna as an addition for the upcoming Clausura 2022.

The Mexican player, whose once even played in Europe with Rangers FC in the Scottish Premiership before fading away, has stablished himself in Guatemala, playing for Antigua Guatemala Fútbol Club for the past semester.

After the arrival of Caixinha for his second tenure as Santos’ coach, the Portuguese is still looking to fill the open spots the team has, especially after Diego Valdés departure to Club América, which opened the possibility of bringing Gullit back to Liga MX as the team needs to add a midfielder.

It’s worth mentioning that Caixinha was the one who requested his signing when he was coaching Rangers FC back in 2017, alongside his compatriot Eduardo Herrera, so it’s not crazy to think there could be some sort of reunion between the Mexican and the Portuguese once again.

According to different sources, Peña hasn’t felt at his best in the Guatemalan league and he’s looking to return to Liga MX and prove he’s still able to compete at a great level in the upcoming Mexican Clausura 2022.

What has been of Carlos “Gullit” Peña?

He showed his best performance with León prior to the 2014 FIFA World Cup, when he helped the Panzas Verdes to become the second team in Liga MX with back-to-back championships, which earned him a spot on the Mexican National Team for the World Cup, where he played against Croatia.

He then moved to play for Chivas and then back to León, but in 2017 he was transfered to Rangers FC. “Gullit” couldn’t find a stable role with the Scottish team and after a couple of loans to Cruz Azul and Necaxa, and been involved in a series of scandals, his contract was terminated in 2019.

Peña then moved to Poland, where he signed with GKS Tychy, from the polish second division. Unfortunately, he parted ways with the team after failing to attend their preseason. Peña returned to Mexico to play for Correcaminos, team that plays in Liga de Expansión, or Mexican Division II, where he only appeared on 7 games.

Prior to joining the Guatemalan team, he played for El Salvadorian Club Deportivo FAS during the first semester of 2021, where he was able to score four goals in 21 games and help his team to win the Clausura 21.

What comes next for Santos? Schedule for Clausura 2022 in Liga MX

After reaching the playoffs on Apertura 2021 just to be eliminated by Tigres in the Quarterfinals, Santos parted ways with Guillermo Almada and later sold one of their most important players, Diego Valdés, to América.

They rapidly brought back Pedro Caixinha, who helped the Laguneros win Liga MX in 2015, hoping he’d be able to repeat a championship with the team.

The Laguneros will open Clausura 2022 playing at home on Saturday 8 against Tigres, having the option of a quick rematch after the elimination a month before. Then, on Round 5, they’ll receive Diego Valdés’ new team on February 12, when América visits La Comarca.

From Round 7 to 9 Santos will face the other 3 big teams of Liga MX in a span of 7 days, as they first visit Cruz Azul at Estadio Azteca on February 27, then at home against Pumas on March 2 and visiting Chivas at Guadalajara on March 5.

They’ll close the tournament with a visit to San Luis on May 1^st, hoping to get back into the playoffs once more.