When Pachuca Vice President Andres Fassi held a press conference this week to announce the hiring of new youth system manager Hans Westerhoff, he stated that this was just the beginning of a major "restructuring at all levels of the club."
Well, he wasn't kidding.
On Tuesday, the Pachuca front office announced that they would be placing their entire first team squad on the transfer market.
Every. Single. Player.
Absolutely no one, it appears, is safe as the club looks to clean house following a disappointing Clausura 2011 season.
Concluding their season this past weekend, the Tuzos ended up in dead last place in Group 2, and in 13th place in the overall league table. They also finished with just 16 goals scored on the season, their lowest scoring total in modern club history.
The coming weeks will determine the fate of Pachuca's current roster. Some had previously been mentioned as likely moving on. Striker Edgar Benitez has allegedly fielded offers from clubs in Argentina and Europe. Chivas is said to have serious interest in defender Paul Aguilar. For most, it will just be a waiting game. Herculez Gomez is in the midst of a two-year contract at Pachuca, and may have generated outside interest with a strong end to the Clausura. For what it's worth, Gomez did recently proclaim his desire to return to Pachuca next season. Like everyone else, we'll see if he gets the chance.
The players that do return will certainly have some major work to do. The immediate goal will be reversing the fortunes of a team that is only a few months clear of an appearance in the FIFA Club World Cup. While the team certainly underperformed this year, there is still a solid core of talent on the roster. The question now is, will any of this existing talent still be there for the coming season?