Inter Miami signed Marcelo Weigandt on loan from Boca Juniors earlier this year, with the defender establishing himself as a key play under Tata Martino.
The 24-year-old defender shared right-back responsibilities with Ian Fray as Weigandt featured prominently for the Herons on their way to winning the Supporters’ Shield and setting a new regular-season points record.
With Weigandt admitting that he is enjoying his time at Inter Miami, the Florida franchise announced earlier this week that the defender will remain with Javier Mascherano’s side for 2025 despite his loan spell originally planned to come to an end.
Yet a reason as to why Weigandt will now stay at Inter Miami has now been revealed.
Inter Miami had extension clause included in Weigandt’s loan deal
According to Planet Boca Juniors, Inter Miami had an extension clause in their loan deal with Weigandt that meant once the defender played ten games for the MLS side that his contract with the Herons would extend by another year, with the fullback now with the Chase Stadium side until next December.
As per the report, Weigandt signed a new three-year contract with Boca Juniors before heading out on loan to Inter Miami, with the Argentine club also including a clause that allows another team to sign the 24-year-old right-back if an offer was to be made.
With Inter Miami fans excited to see Jordi Alba sign on for another year, Weigandt remaining for one more season could be met with just as much joy from supporters given how many minutes the Argentine defender played this year.
Indeed, with Inter Miami interested in signing Nicolas Otamendi, there’s a good chance that Weigandt could be joined by another Argentine at the back, which could help elevate the fullback’s performances up another level.
How good was Weigandt for Inter Miami this year?
Weigandt was brought in earlier this year to replace former captain DeAndre Yedlin, and although there were some moments the defender will want to forget, the Argentine fullback was more than serviceable for Inter Miami in 2024.
| Marcelo Weigandt’s 2024 Inter Miami stats | Games played | Goal contributions | Clean sheets |
| MLS/MLS play-offs | 26 | 0 goals/3 assists | 3 |
| Leagues Cup | 4 | 0 goals/0 assists | 1 |
| CONCACAF Champions Cup | 2 | 0 goals/0 assists | 0 |
| Total | 32 | 0 goals/0 assists | 4 |
Although Weigandt’s clean sheet record is quite disturbing, Inter Miami’s defensive record as a whole was one of the worst in MLS, with the Herons relying heavily on outscoring their opponents to get wins and to pick up points.
And of Mascherano can bring in a new structure at the back as well as a handful of signings, there’s a good chance that Weigandt’s game could improve at Inter Miami, where the defender looks set to become the starting fullback for a second season running.