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Following a few days of speculation, Kerala Blasters have completed the signing of 32-year old Spanish defender Vicente Gomez from Deportivo La Coruna. A defensive midfielder by trade, Gomez has been predominantly deployed just in front of the back four, a position that he has excelled at in the past.
After being transferred from Segunda division club Deportivo, Gomez initially found success with Las Palmas, a club he spent nine highly successful years with. Gomez was an integral member of the side, making over 20 appearances each season. He totaled 223 appearances for Las Palmas before making the move back to the Segunda division with Deportivo where he made 59 appearances.
Vicente Gomez: A makeshift defensive option for Kerala Blasters
In the context of the 2020/21 Indian Super League (ISL) season, Gomez is an extremely important figure on the Kerala Blasters team sheet. After defensive stalwart Sandesh Jhingan turned down a contract to stay at the club, the Blasters find themselves short of defensive options.
While the 32-year old Vicente Gomez has predominantly been deployed in front of the back four, he is more than capable of occupying either of the center-back positions. His solid figure of 6 feet and 2 inches reinforces that claim.
Gomez becomes the second overseas signing for the Kerala Blasters this season following their acquisition of Argentine attacking midfielder Facundo Pereyra. In addition to this, he becomes the second Spaniard in the squad after the Kerala Blasters' management managed to retain the services of midfielder Sergio Cidoncha.
Although it is speculative at the moment, Gomez is expected to would occupy one central defensive position with Sandeep Singh occupying the other. The signing of Nishu Kumar from Bengaluru FC has reinforced the defensive unit as he too will be expected to be an integral part of the first team.
