ISL 2023: East Bengal have bolstered their attacking lineup by roping in Spanish duo of Javier Siverio and Saul Crespo for the upcoming Indian Super League. Forward Siverio helped Hyderabad FC win their maiden ISL title in his debut season (2021-22) in India.
The 25-year-old graduated from the UD Las Palmas academy in 2015 and represented Spanish teams such as Las Palmas B, Racing Santander B and Racing Santander before moving to HFC ahead of the 2021-22 season. He has 12 goals to his name in 45 ISL appearances.
“It’s an honour for me to join this century-old club. I really admire the vision of Coach Carles and the investors for taking this club forward.,” Siverio, who scored 9 times for HFC across all competitions last season, said.
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Central midfielder Saul, on the other hand, played a pivotal role in Odisha FC’s maiden ISL playoff qualification and the recent Super Cup triumph. Born in Ponferrada, Saul played for Spanish clubs like Ponferradina, Atletico Astorga and Arandina before making his foray into the ISL last year. The 26-year-old played 2,054 minutes and bagged three goals and two assists in 26 matches across all tournaments last season.
“When I learnt that East Bengal was interested in me, I didn’t hesitate to join them. They are one of the biggest clubs in India with the best fans,” Saul said.
“I watched the Kolkata Derby last year and was very impressed. I really want to play in this team and help them win as many games as possible.” East Bengal head coach Carles Cuadrat highlighted the skillsets of the young Spaniard duo. “Siverio has been a fine goal-getter ever since he arrived in India. He has adapted himself to the rigors of the ISL after two years of playing here.
“I believe he will help to bolster our attack significantly. Saul, too, knows the competitiveness of the ISL and has played a key part in the midfield, which helped Odisha FC win the Super Cup.
“Both of them have excellent work-rates and also the right attitude to take the club forward,” the head coach said. East Bengal finished ninth place in their inaugural season, while in 2021–22, the red-and-gold slumped to the bottom of the table in the eleventh position, winning just one out of the 20 matches in the league.
In the last season, the team finished at ninth spot with six wins from 20 matches.
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