Jamshedpur FC have added Brazilian defender Eli Sabia to their list for the upcoming Indian Super League (ISL) to be held in Goa from November onwards, in a bid to strengthen the defence of the team.
The 31-year-old Sabia, who played for Chennaiyin FC for the last three seasons, will compensate for the absence of Nigerian international Stephen Eze in the backline. Eze has not signed for Men of Steel as he is looking to play in the European circuit.
Sources familiar with the situation said JFC head coach Owen Coyle was keen to have Sabia in the side. Coyle was with Chennaiyin FC before he joined Jamshedpur in the last season. "Sabia has reunited with Coyle," one of the sources added, requesting not to be quoted.
The Scotland-born Coyle was also instrumental in bringing Chennaiyin FC's goal machine Nerijus Valskis and defender Laldinliana Renthlei when he moved to Jamshedpur. He also ensured the signing of English defender Peter Hartley who captained the club in the last season.
Sabia and Hartley are expected to strengthen the JFC backline. The Brazilian first joined Chennaiyin FC in 2016. He then returned home for a spell at Sertaozinho FC before switching to Al Raed in Saudi Arabia.
Out of six foreign players to be included, Jamshedpur already have four – Hartley (United Kingdom), Valskis (Lithuania), Jordan Murray (Australia) and Eli Sabia (Brazil), on board.
Jamshedpur finished sixth, four points behind fourth-placed FC Goa last season, with 27 points (20 matches, seven wins, as many loses and six draws) in last season’s ISL held in Goa.
They are determined to qualify for the play-offs for the first time and have more or less worked out the team formation for the tournament ahead.
The club has tried out four coaches – Steve Coppell (England), Cesar Ferrando, Antonio Iriondo (both from Spain) and the present incumbent Coyle – and some Indian and foreign players since the 2017-18 ISL season. However, JFC are yet to make it to the play-off.
But for some poor refereeing in the last season, the club would have qualified for the knock-outs. Moreover, Valskis, who showed great form in the beginning, failed to fire when it mattered the most.
