Torres and Mejia Linked to Montreal

Montreal fans have been led to expect further new arrivals at their club prior to the new MLS season kicking off in April.

Not surprisingly the already-spinning rumour mill has churned out a few names.

Probably the most interesting so far involves speculation out of Argentina that Newell’s OB’s Joaquin Torres is on Olivier Renard’s radar.

Torres is a left-footed, right-sided winger, the exact polar opposite of Lassi Lappalainen.

Once the subject of a rejected 3m euros bid from Portuguese giants Benfica, the player, skilful and quick, dropped out of favour not long after. That was in 2016/17 before Newell’s the following season went through no fewer than four coaches, the last of which Torres did not find favour with.

The player was then loaned out to new Greek Super League club Volos New Football Club in 2019/20 and made a flying start with four goals and an assist in his opening four appearances, before goal contributions dried up.

His most memorable marker was an exquisite volleyed back heel in a 3-2 defeat at AEK Athens.

Volos with an Argentinian colony of six, finished clear of the relegation-zone.

The league season in Greece concluded last March. Since then Torres has played on three minutes of football when he came on as a sub in a Greek Super League Play-Out game in June. He did not appear for his Argentinian club at all in 2020.

At 23 the player sounds like potential but risky, especially if he is to occupy an international slot. Past players like Lucas Ontivero and Jeisson Vargas spring to mind when analyzing the type of profile attached to Torres, each talented, but ‘flatter to deceive’ types.

The other rumour circulating currently concerns German Mejia (26), a defensive midfielder who appeared for CD Olimpia last March in the CONCACAF Champions League game at Stade Olimpique (he was also an unused substitute in Orlando for the 2nd leg).

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This one seems less likely. Although he can play right-back, Olimpia more frequently deployed Mejia in midfield. With Piette highly unlikely to move anywhere and Wanyama in place, Mejia seems not to possess the profile of a player currently required by Montreal, unless he is seen as understudy to ZBG on the right side of defence.

Mejia played only around half his club’s games during their recent successful Apertura Championship campaign, and bid farewell to Olimpia’s fans in a tweet earlier this week after seven seasons with the club.

There were no clues in Mejia’s statement as to where he’s destined. He played 170 league games in CD Olimpia colours, scoring 3 goals.

My sources in Honduras have not been able to provide anything definitive, but feel it unlikely that Canada is the next likely stopping point for their former player.