Emami East Bengal coach Carles Cuadrat hoped for a better performance and greater success for his team as the city giant presented a star-studded squad ahead of the season, here on Monday.
Having finished ninth in the Indian Super League, the Kalinga Super Cup champion got into the transfer market early this time to secure the services of a number of international and Indian names.
Among the major additions are Greek striker and ISL golden boot winner Dimitrios Diamantakos, French playmaker Madih Talal and India international Jeakson Singh and emerging talent David Lalhlansanga.
“Last year we were struggling to be competitive but with a good effort from our investor Emami Group the scenario is much better this time. We reached two finals – Durand Cup and Super Cup – and won one trophy (Super Cup) which goes to show the strength of the team,” Cuadrat said.
“But there was not enough depth in the squad for which we struggled in the ISL whenever there were injuries and suspensions. We hope this season we can put up a better challenge and performance as we have a bigger squad with bigger names.”
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“This is my seventh season in India and I can say this is the best squad I have managed so far. Last season it was a kind of surprise as the team reached two finals but this the team’s strength is adequate to take to the finals,” Cuadrat said while looking ahead to the team’s upcoming campaigns in the Durand Cup and the AFC Champions League 2 preliminary stage match against Turkmenistan’s FC Altyn Asyr on August 14 (at Salt Lake Stadium).
“Our target first will be making a top-six finish in the ISL and from there we can think of improving to the next stage. Apart from that we will always try to win the Cups in the other tournaments that we play,” said the East Bengal’s Brazilian captain Cleiton Silva, who will be playing his third season for East Bengal.
“When we came aboard as East Bengal’s investor in 2022, we promised the club and the fans that we would leave no stone unturned to bring back the days of glory.
“While the Super Cup victory was a testament of our hard work and dedication, the upcoming season will be even more important for us with Emami East Bengal qualifying for the AFC stage. Keeping the long season in mind, we have tried to forge a squad that can challenge for multiple titles,” said the Emami Group director Aditya Vardhan Agarwal.
The East Bengal squad:
Goalkeepers – Prabhsukhan Singh Gill and Debjit Majumder; Defenders – Hijazi Maher, Lalchungnunga, Gursimrat Singh Gill, Nishu Kumar, Mark Zothanpuia, Mohamad Rakip, Provat Lakra;
Midfielders – Souvik Chakrabarti, Saul Crespo, Jeakson Singh, Madih Talal, Vishnu P.V., Sayan Banerjee, Aman C.K., Tanmay Das, Shyamal Besra;
Forwards – Cleiton Silva, Dimitrios Diamantakos, David Lalhlansanga, Naorem Mahesh Singh, Nandhakumar Sekar.
