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Hyderabad FC have acquired the services of Oswaldo Alanis ahead of the 2023-24 Indian Super League season. The Mexican centre-back is one of the biggest signings ever made by the club, with his market value reportedly around INR 6.4 crores.
Alanis, who is replacing Odei Onaindia, will add some much-needed heft to the Hyderabad defence, and will probably line up alongside Chinglensana Singh. Nim Dorjee Tamang and Alex Saji are the other centre-halves in the Nawabs' squad.
The 34-year-old has penned a one-year deal at the club and will join other foreigners Joao Victor, Felipe Amorim, Joe Knowles, Jonathan Moya, and Petteri Pennanen. Alanis will sport the number two jersey with the Nawabs.
Alanis is a left-footed defender, which will add a lot of versatility to the Hyderabad FC backline. However, it remains to be seen if this forces Chinglensana Singh, who is right-footed, to move to the right centre-back position instead of his preferred left centre-back position.
On joining the club, Alanis said:
“I am very glad and thankful for this opportunity that life has given me. We have a great group here at Hyderabad and I am very happy to be a part of this team."
He added:
“I can’t wait to get to know more about the city of Hyderabad and we hope to have a great season ahead.”
Oswaldo Alanis has won the CONCACAF Gold Cup with Mexico
Alanis brings with him a wealth of experience to the Maidaan in Gachibowli. Amongst other major honours, the centre-back has won the CONCACAF Gold Cup with Mexico in 2015.
The 34-year-old has also plied his trade for the San Jose Earthquakes in the American Major League Soccer as well as Real Oviedo in Spain. His experiences will help the youngsters at Hyderabad FC immensely.
Having made over 350 appearances in his career so far, Alanis has also won Liga MX, Copa MX, Supercopa MX, and the CONCACAF Champions League, where he was named in the Champions League Best XI in 2018. This will be his first stint in Indian football.
New first-team coach Conor Nestor will be extremely pleased to have Alanis with him at the club, as it will give him the option of adding a dash of seniority to the ranks. Although the Mexican arrived rather late at the club and missed preseason entirely, he will be expected to quickly get into his stride.
After their inaugural game on September 22 against FC Goa at home was postponed, Hyderabad will travel to Kolkata to take on East Bengal at the Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday, September 30.
