KOLKATA: Jamshedpur FC coach Scott Cooper is leaving no stone unturned as far as preparing the team for the upcoming season of Indian Super League is concerned. After bringing on board three midfielders, he has turned his eye to the back line, which put up a terrible show last season as the team conceded as many as 32 goals in 20 matches.
Following the signing of Provat Lakra from Northeast United FC, JFC on Saturday announced the arrival of another defender - this time all the way from Brazil - Elsinho. The 32-year-old is capable of operating both as a defensive midfielder and a central defender and coach Cooper believes his height will be a huge positive for the team.
"Elsinho has both height and technical ability. He's very fast for a big guy and has played in Mexico and at various levels in Brazil. We like him because of his pace, technical ability and also because he is a major threat from set pieces, so we feel like he will be a great commodity and bring height to the team," said Cooper in a release.
Coming from Uberaba in Brazilian Highlands, he played a lot in the lower divisions of Brazilian football, before impressing in his debut for Oeste FC, a club based in Sao Paulo. He then moved to Mexican club FC Juarez in 2016 and grew into a versatile and dependable player.
There he made a name for himself making 136 appearances in total and even bagged 10 goals. Following a loan move to fellow Mexican team Celaya FC, he secured a permanent transfer to Spanish side Racing Ferrol in La Liga 2 where he appeared 25 times and scored four goals.
Speaking on his move to Red Miners, Elsinho said, "I believe this is a great next step in my career and I can't wait to come and play in front of all the fans in Jamshedpur. I'm sure together as a squad we can get back to winning the big one."
