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What's the story?
Mumbai City FC have confirmed Everton Santos as their third foreign signing for the 2017-18 Indian Super League season. The 30-year-old striker joins Lucian Goian and compatriot Gerson Vieira as the new recruits for last season's semi-finalists.
In case you didn't know...
With every ISL club having sorted their domestic signings during last month's draft, the onus on them now is roping in overseas players to complete the 25-man squad for ISL 2017-18.
Santos is the latest signing for Mumbai City in their quest to build a team capable of fighting for the title.
The heart of the matter
Santos, 30, has played at various clubs in South America, Europe and Asia. He has had stints in Asia in Japan and South Korea in the colours of Albiirex Nigata, FC Seoul and Seongnam FC. The Brazilian has also played for French giants Paris Saint-Germain but his career has been littered with loan moves.
Alexandre Guimaraes, the Mumbai City head coach, would be keen to add more attacking firepower after the departure of both Diego Forlan and Sunil Chhetri from last season's squad. Forlan has been linked with a return, while Chhetri has been signed by Bengaluru FC.
Having scored only 36 goals in 229 career appearances, it looks unlikely that Santos is the solution to Mumbai City's problems in front of goal.
What's next?
The forthcoming ISL season is set to start on 17th November and Mumbai City FC will look to go one step further this time around after their semi-finals exit last season. With the arrival of Santos, it seems the Men in Blue are not leaving anything to chance.
They have already signed former Mohun Bagan striker Balwant Singh in the draft, but it remains to be seen how he gels with his new striker partner.
Author's take
Santos' goalscoring record is not great for someone who is a centre-forward. But the fact that he can play across the frontline makes him a valuable addition to the Mumbai City squad. His versatility to adapt to different positions will certainly aid someone like Balwant, and he has experienced Asian football in the past as well.
