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#2 Jaime Santos could be the trump card
The Kolkata Derby is a game that decides the future of many players. Some went on to become heroes while some turned villain overnight. A poor display in this game has seen many players spend the rest of the season on the bench. A good performance, on the other hand, earns a player a legendary status in the club.
Take the latest example of Johnny Acosta. The Costa Rican made his debut against Mohun Bagan in the Calcutta Football League three months ago. Though he scored a goal which eventually helped his team earn a point, his defensive mistakes were not overlooked and come Sunday, he is expected to warm the bench.
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The stage is, however, set for Jaime Santos Colado, East Bengal’s latest Spanish signing, to win the heart of the supporters. Santos has been practising with the club for at least a week now and has already done the necessary paperwork. He, in all likelihood, will feature against Mohun Bagan.
He is a completely unknown player in Indian football, coming directly from the Sporting Gijon youth academy. He has a habit of scoring from distance and can operate from both the wings.
He played under Alejandro Menendez in Gijon and has a good understanding with the Spanish coach. The depleted Mohun Bagan side might endure a torrid time in stopping him.
Menendez confirmed that Santos will play at least a few minutes against Bagan on Sunday. He said, “The team is training very well and is high in confidence after the last win. The loss of Enrique Esqueda is bad for us, but now we have to think about the players that can play. Santos will play some minutes in the game.”
Green and Maroon coach Sankarlal Chakroborty praised the young winger in his pre-match press conference, “Santos has good speed and first touch. He is young and we have to be cautious.”
Come Sunday and Santos could be the player who can steal the limelight.
