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East Bengal FC have acquired the services of English forward Jake Jervis until the end of the ongoing 2022-23 season on a free transfer, the club announced on Friday (January 27).
The 31-year-old striker has had a journeyman career, with the Red and Gold Brigade becoming the 18th club where he would ply his trade. His most recent spell was in the Finnish Top Division with SJK. Jervis played 67 matches for the Seinäjoki club, scoring 21 goals and assisting on seven occasions.
Previously, the veteran Englishman has played at clubs like Plymouth Argyle, Birmingham City, and Elazigspor. India will be the fifth country, including his homeland, where Jervis has played.
Replacing Eliandro, the experienced campaigner is expected to play alongside Cleiton Silva and share the Brazilian's burden of finding goals. Speaking about the new signing, head coach Stephen Constantine told the East Bengal FC media team:
"I am delighted that Jake has joined us. I had been working on getting him in since October. He will play up top for us and give Cleiton a bit of space and, of course, get us some more goals.”
Jervis has already been training with the first team for the last few weeks but couldn't officially register with the club due to a transfer ban.
However, the suspension was lifted in the early hours of January 26 and the former Plymouth Argyle man will be available for selection for the upcoming league matches and the Super Cup.
East Bengal FC need to focus on the future with their recent recruitment
The Red and Gold Brigade have a lot of fires to put out with the ongoing winter transfer window. Not only are their current performances a cause for concern but so is their lack of investment in young talents.
The club showed some signs of intent after securing the services of young talents like Lalchungnunga, Himanshu Jangra, and Ankit Jadhav ahead of the ISL season. However, Jangra has spent prolonged periods on the sidelines, while Ankit Jadhav jumped ship a few months into his contract to join Odisha FC.
With their form in the league and handling of the young talents, it might eventually become a superhuman task for East Bengal to lure talented individuals to the club.
