Tijuana Xolos: Gustavo Bou is Now Officially a Tijuana Xolo
This Monday, June 26, the Tijuana Xolos officially announced the signing of one of their top signings this off-season, Gustavo Bou.
The move had been speculated for weeks, and the border city side finally made the signing official.
Bou is Argentine and is coming from Racing Club de Avellaneda in the Argentine Primera Division. The 27-year-old striker had a solid 2016-2017 season, being one of the top scorers in Argentina with 10 goals in league play and two goals in the Copa Libertadores.
Bou started his professional career in 2008 with River Plate and is a product of the River Plate academy like former Xolos’ midfielder, Guido Rodriguez. After his time in Buenos Aires, Bou was loaned out by River Plate to smaller Argentine clubs like Olimpo, Gimnasia and to Ecuadorian side, LDU Quito, before arriving at Racing Club in 2014.
“El Pantera” has been a consistent scorer in his home country since his arrival with Racing Club in 2014.
The Argentinian striker scored 10 goals in the Argentine Primera Division in 2014. In 2015, Bou scored another eight goals in league play and was the top scorer in the Copa Libertadores as well. The forward finished his trajectory at Racing Club with an impressive 44 goals in 94 appearances. Bou is set to be Milton Caraglio’s replacement up top, but it is still unclear if Eduardo Coudet will play with two strikers or what formation he will use in the upcoming season.
The 27-year-old has a solid physical presence at 5-foot-10 and will not be bullied off the ball, but unlike Caraglio, Bou has much more mobility and speed in the attack. His heading ability is definitely a downgrade to Caraglio’s, which is a concern as Caraglio’s heading ability was a huge factor in certain games throughout the Clausura 2017.
The Argentine’s positioning and clinical finishing ability are among his best traits along with the explosiveness he can deliver as well.
Bou has the potential to be a top scorer, like Dayro Moreno has been in the past for the border city side. With players like Paul Arriola and Ignacio Malcorra around him to create plays and generate opportunities, Bou should be able to have a successful debut season in the Liga MX. The signing of “El Pantera” is one of the most exciting this off-season in the Liga MX because of the enormous potential the Argentine has. The signing should be able to help fill the void of Milton Caraglio and Aviles Hurtado and it will be interesting to see if Bou can make the transition to the Liga MX comfortably.
Francisco, 26, Chula Vista/Tijuana. I have been a Padres fan all my life, did most of the series previews and recaps in the Padres’ 2016 season for EVT. Now I focus more on the local soccer scene. Tijuana Xolos, San Diego Loyal, San Diego Wave.