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Mohun Bagan have successfully completed their fourth foreign signing this season by roping in Spanish central midfielder Joseba Beitia for the upcoming season. The club announced the arrival of the footballer by releasing a video on their official YouTube channel, MBAC TV.
The footballer played for Spanish outfit Real Union in the Secundra Division last season, before signing for the ‘green and maroon’ brigade. Joseba has mostly played his club football in Spain for clubs like Real Sociedad B, CD Sarinena, Somozas, Marbella FC and Racing Ferrol.
The Spaniard will join four of his country mates in the Kolkata-based club in the build-up to the 2019-20 Indian football season. Mohun Bagan has already secured the services of three other Spanish players, forward Salva Chamorro, playmaker Francisco Javier Gonzalez and stopper Fran Morante.
Meanwhile, Salva Chamorro and Fran Morante have already landed on Indian soil and are currently at Bagan’s ongoing pre-season camp in Goa. The cub is waiting to receive the other foreigners to join the squad. ‘The Mariners’ have also recruited a Spanish head coach, Kibu Vicuna, who took charge of the team recently.
Mohun Bagan have opted for a team with a Spanish base - a recent trend which is being observed in a few Indian clubs. Indian Super League side ATK was the first Indian club to do when they joined hands with Spanish giants Atletico Madrid. Chennai City FC won their maiden I-League with the help of a group of Spanish players at their disposal, while East Bengal also had a lot of Spanish players in their ranks last season.
In each of the cases, the team benefitted a lot due to the presence of Spanish influence. It will be interesting to see if Mohun Bagan can introduce a tiki-taka flavor in their football. The Calcutta Football League, which starts soon, along with the Durand Cup, will be the first real challenge for Kibu Vicuna’s boys in the new season.
