I-League 2019-20: East Bengal eye three new signings, linked with Liberian striker

The start to the new season and the new year has not been too fruitful for Kolkata-based football giants East Bengal. On the pitch, they have struggled to get going, notching up just two wins in five matches and are currently fourth on the league table with eight points. On Saturday, the Red and Golds suffered their first defeat in the ongoing I-League season, 0-1 to Churchill Brothers.

Not only on the pitch, but their problems have also compounded off it as well. 31-year-old defender, on Tuesday, Borja Gomez Perez having to return to Spain on Monday urgently to tend to a “serious” family matter.

In a bid to scrutinise what has gone wrong, the club's officials held a meeting with head coach Alejandro Menendez Garcia on Tuesday after the training session got over at the Salt Lake Stadium training ground.

“We had a discussion with the coach (Alejandro Menendez Garcia). The club president spoke to him and he is very happy with the performance of the coach. The coach gave us a few names of Indian footballers and we are trying to get them for him. But those players need to be free players or else we cannot get them now,” said senior club official Debabrata Sarkar after the meeting.

Links with Liberian forward Kpah Sherman

When asked about possible foreign signings, Sarkar said, "Regarding foreigners, Alejandro said he will think about it and let us know in a few days."

However, as per reports, Kpah Sherman, a Liberian international, is one of the names put forward by the East Bengal gaffer. The 27-year-old striker turned out for Malaysian side PKNS FC in the 2019 Malaysian Super League last season. He found the back of the net 14 times in 19 appearances. If anything, his goal-scoring knack will be a huge plus for the centenary club who are vying for their first I-League trophy.

At the beginning of the season, Menendez had said that he was satisfied with the squad but, a couple of months in, and glaring issues have cropped up. It seems the Spanish coach is finally addressing the problems and the team management as well are ready to make reinforcements and strengthen the squad for the remainder of the season.