Martín Anselmi's Imminent Cruz Azul Exit | OneFootball

Martín Anselmi took the reins at Cruz Azul in December 2023, just in time for the 2024 Clausura. Since then, the 44-year-old has guided the club to a Clausura final and an Apertura semifinal. Before his arrival, La Máquina were struggling in 16th place—far from the heights they aspire to reach.

In the last few hours, reports have emerged that Anselmi’s impressive record in Mexico has caught the attention of Europe, with Portuguese giants FC Porto reportedly reaching an agreement to bring the Argentine to Portugal.

The Dragons spent seven years under Sergio Conceição before he opted to swap Portugal for Italy, taking the reins at AC Milan. During his tenure, he led the club to three Liga Portugal titles, four Taça de Portugal victories, and three Super Cup wins. Now, with his departure, Porto face the tough task of finding his successor.

Now, the 2004 UEFA Champions League winners find themselves in 3rd position in the league, four points adrift of league leaders Sporting Lisbon. In the UEFA Europa League, the club is still alive despite being in 19th place. Two games remain to be played in Europe and they are a point inside the qualification places albeit waiting to face Olympiakos and Maccabi Tel Aviv.

The Portuguese side is believed to have found the man who will make them defensively resolute but dangerous in transition.

If Anselmi signs on the dotted line, he will have talents like Nico González, a Barcelona academy graduate with 8 goal contributions this season, and Samuel Aghehowa, who’s been on fire with 13 goals in 15 league matches since his move from Atlético Madrid. At the other end of the pitch, Porto boasts one of the world's top goalkeepers in Diogo Costa, a name constantly linked with moves to clubs like Chelsea and Manchester United.

Despite the undeniable quality across the squad, Porto are still searching for their first win of 2025. Three games in, three defeats, including a narrow 1-0 loss to Sporting in the League Cup.

As for Cruz Azul, they have just begun their 2025 Clausura campaign, aiming to go one better and win the final. The team has gone from strength to strength since their Clausura final defeat to Club América last summer, signing the likes of Giorgious Giakoumakis and most recently Jesús Orozco from Chivas. La Máquina recorded the best run of any team during the Apertura regular season but fell at the semifinal to familiar foe América.