Last season, midfield talent Gustavo Puerta (20) didn’t get enough playing time. With the signing of Spanish international Aleix Garcia, his prospects have worsened again. Nevertheless, a loan deal is not yet a done deal.
Will Leverkusen’s midfield talent Gustavo Puerta be loaned out? IMAGO/Jan Huebner
He was the winner of the 2023 summer preseason. Nevertheless, Gustavo Puerta had to make do with ten competitive appearances in the double season. Since Bayer 04 has signed another midfielder in Aleix Garcia, the consequence for the 20-year-old now seems clear.
The Colombian will have to leave Leverkusen in order to gain the match practice he needs for his development. However, a final decision on what will happen next has not yet been made regarding the talented midfielder.
There are good arguments for this, although the record of the 30-time U-20 international, who was called up for the Colombian senior national team for the first time in the spring, is basically only a little better than that of the other midfield talent, Noah Mbamba. And the latter, it has already been decided, will be loaned out for the coming season.
Only three short appearances for Puerta 2024
Right-footed Puerta was in Bayer’s starting eleven in two of his three Europa League appearances, and he was allowed to play seven times in the league. In total, however, the aggressive and powerful player only played 234 minutes. In the current calendar year, in which there were no longer any easy opponents like in the group phase of the Europa League in the autumn, Puerta only made three short appearances in the league (including the 3-0 win against Bayern Munich) with a total of 20 minutes of playing time.
“But he can play sixes, eights and tens”
Consequently, the trend is towards a late loan for him. “We’re still waiting to see what happens with Gustavo. A loan could also be an option for him,” says Simon Rolfes, although the managing director points out: “But he can play as a six, eight and ten.”
Bayer wants to closely monitor Puerta’s development during pre-season training, not only because of this versatility. But also because the Colombian surprised everyone in Leverkusen in the summer of 2023 after a six-month loan to Nuremberg without making a second division appearance, so that coach Xabi Alonso kept the sure loan candidate in the squad after convincing performances in training and in friendlies.
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Now the midfielder, who has been confident from the start but also tactically disciplined, will be given a second chance to recommend himself for Xabi Alonso’s Bundesliga squad. This will give Bayer 04 the opportunity to decide on Puerta’s future later in the transfer window, depending on what the squad constellation or Puerta’s performance makes necessary.
2024-06-18 12:47:18
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