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Hyderabad FC have announced the signing of Aridane Santana from Spanish club Cultural Leonesa. The 33-year-old put pen to paper on a one-year contract that will keep him at Hyderabad FC till March 2021.
The Spanish striker had spent the 2019-20 season on loan at Odisha FC and made a rather significant impact by scoring 9 goals in just 14 appearances for the club.
His move to Hyderabad has been welcomed, mainlydue to the side's forgettable first season in the Indian Super League.
Aridane will be an important player for us in the season: Manuel Marquez
Recently appointed Hyderabad head coach Manuel Marquez, who took over from former Bengaluru FC coach Albert Roca, spoke highly of the new signing. He praised certain attributes of Santana, which could play a key role in improving the side's prospects this season.
“Aridane will be an important player for us in the season. He is the typical striker – strong, a good header of the ball, holds up possession, someone with a good shot, and a hard worker. He has shown all these things last season at Odisha and we’ve all seen how important he was for them. The good thing is that he knows Indian football and the ISL, so settling in won’t be a hassle. His experience in Thailand will also help us, with the League set to take place in Goa, and we’re very excited to have him," said an upbeat Marquez.
Very happy to sign for Hyderabad FC: Santana
Santana seemed upbeat about the transfer as well, speaking about training with his new teammates and coach.
“I’m very happy to sign for Hyderabad FC. I have known Manuel Marquez from his previous clubs in Spain, and he is definitely one of the top coaches. I am excited to come down to India and meet up with my new teammates and get ready for the season,” said Santana.
“My primary goal is to get to the best conditions personally for the start of the season, and then help the team with a lot of hard work on the field. It’s going to be a challenging season, and if I can help the team through goals, nothing like it,” he added.
