The return of the 25-year-old defender to his hometown club is a major boost ahead of Newell’s Old Boys’ upcoming Copa Sudamericana campaign.
Newell’s Old Boys have confirmed the loan signing of Franco Escobar, the academy-produced defender who was sold to Atlanta United of the MLS in 2018.
In what is seen as somewhat of a coup for Newell’s, Escobar leaves his parent club in the US before even playing one game for his ex-Newell’s teammate Gabriel Heinze. Escobar previously referred to Atlanta coach Heinze as being his ‘inspiration’ when the two played together in Rosario in 2014.
The deal between Newell’s and Atlanta United is a one-year loan with no fee which will give Escobar the chance to compete for continental glory with Newell’s in the Copa Sudamericana and on the domestic front in the Copa de la Liga 2021.
Although primarily a right-back, Escobar has played as a centre-back occasionally at both Newell’s Old Boys and Atlanta.
It remains to be seen where Frank Kudelka is likely to use him but is versatility is an asset to a defence that clearly needs to be tightened up in light of a poor performance in the 2020 Copa Diego Maradona.
Welcome home, Franco!
