“It may be one of the RPL discoveries.” An unusual legionnaire finally made it to Dynamo
Anatoly Romanov August 26, 2023, 10:05 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
The blue and whites have been fighting for the newcomer for more than a month. The Mexican Chavez is a real boost for Lichka’s team.
It’s hard to believe, but Dynamo have just signed their first newcomer in the summer window under new manager Marcel Lichka, except for the transfer of goalkeeper Andrei Kudravets, who has been left on loan at BATE and will join the blue and whites in the winter of 2024. The transfer of Luis Chávez from the Mexican Pachuca was delayed for reasons beyond the control of the Moscow club. Now the money for the 27-year-old midfielder (6.5 million euros, according to Transfermarkt) has finally passed from buyer to seller, and the blue and white newcomer has flown to Russia.
Chávez is the first Mexican in the history of the RPL. Where did the players come from to the Russian championship (legionnaires were found even in North Korea, Iraq and Jamaica), but there was not a single one from this country. A year ago, Dynamo was about to sign the central defender of the Mexican national team César Montes, but then, due to money transfer problems, the transfer failed at the last moment.
In mid-July, the Mexican media reported that Dynamo had agreed with Pachuca to buy Chávez and had agreed to a four-year contract with the midfielder himself. Luis really wanted to go to Europe, and the Mexican club met him halfway: he agreed to let him go. But As wrote: the transfer could fail due to financial constraints. The journalists recalled that due to the sanctions, the assets of the Central Bank of Russia in the United States were suspended, so that American banks would not be able to accept money from Dynamo for the transfer of the footballer.
Of course, at Dinamo, remembering the history of Montes, they were prepared for it. The parties agreed that Chávez would receive funds from the Moscow Club and buy out his contract with Pachuca, after which he would go to Russia as a free agent. But at the end of July the Record publication already reported new problems: Dynamo could not transfer money to Louis himself. CSKA also faced the same problem in the history of the signing of Leon striker Viktor Dávila. Also, in mid-August, the Fox Sports website shared its inside information: the deal fell through and Chávez would go to another European club. But this turned out to be false – after a month and a half, Dynamo was waiting for the midfielder. Was the Mexican worth it?
Louis Chavez
midfielder “Dinamo”
“I am a player who loves intense football, shots on goal and the ability to work. Maybe there were offers from other clubs, but I don’t know. The first offer was from Dynamo. I spoke to the head coach and management. After that, he no longer considered other options, he focused on moving to Dynamo.
Chávez is an experienced and high-quality midfielder, a player for the Mexican national team. He received his first call-up to the national team in the fall of 2020 and made his debut for it in June of last year. Since then, he has remained stable at the base. In November he participated in the three matches of the team in the 2022 World Cup: with Poland (0-0), Argentina (0-2) and Saudi Arabia (2-1). He played from the first to the last minute. He scored a phenomenal goal with a free kick against the Saudis, which became one of the most beautiful in the World Cup.
In total, in the 2022 World Cup, Chávez had 10 hits in three games and hit four times. He entered the top 3 of his team in terms of number of passes (119) and became the best in number of accurate passes, both in the rival half of the field (70) and in the third outside (34). He made five passes at the moment of impact. Louis also shared second or third place in the number of martial arts won (16).
And this summer, Chávez won the CONCACAF Gold Cup with the national team. In the group stage he scored against Honduras and in the semifinals against Jamaica, played by Spartak striker Shamar Nicholson. Mexico defeated Panama 1-0 in the final. To date, Louis has made 24 appearances and 3+1 with the national team.
Luis Chávez in the 2022 World Cup
Photo: Francois Nel/Getty Images
Timur Lepsaya, sports official and expert in the Latin American market, spoke about Chávez in an interview with the Championship correspondent:
“I have been in the soccer business for 20 years and have been involved in many businesses. In my memory, for 20 years, there was not a single foreign player who had shown such stamina, desire and integrity to move to the RPL.
Chávez can play both with the “six” and with the “eight”. Tenacious, uncompromising, disperse attacks. His main quality is incredible free kicks. Chávez is a very solid footballer who should fit into Lichka’s scheme. Louis is already a mature player. I think it will take him a minimum of time to adapt, there are already Latin Americans at the club. He has done a lot of professional work. I think that Lucho, as they call him, could be one of the discoveries of the championship.”
Chávez’s top goal in the 2022 World Cup:
Classification
The greatness of the city and the masterpieces of Brazil. The 25 best goals of the 2022 World Cup
With Pachuca, Chávez played 143 games, scored 14 goals and provided 13 assists. At the end of the 2022/2023 season, he was recognized as the best defensive midfielder in the league. The Dynamo newcomer’s trophy collection includes a league title.
Surely the newcomer will watch the away game against Rubin from the sidelines.
