ISL: Bengaluru FC sign Brazillian defender Alan Costa

Bengaluru FC has announced the signing of Brazillian center-back Alan Costa on a two-year loan deal from Brasileiro Série B side Avaí FC.

After Rohit Kumar, this is the second signing that BFC has announced for the upcoming Indian Super League season. Last week they also announced that the Gabon defender Yrondu Musavu-King had signed a contract extension for the next two years with the club. The departure of Juanan left a void in the Bengaluru FC defense, and it looks like King and Costa will be the ones filling that gap.

The defender made his professional debut in 2010 and has played in the lower to the upper leagues in Brazil. He has represented seven clubs in the last decade, with Avai FC being the last one. The player did not make it to the Avai squad in the last few matches because of the rumors linking him to the former ISL champions. He signs a two-year loan deal with the club, keeping him with BFC till 2023.

"I'm really happy to have signed for Bengaluru FC and I have good expectations about Indian football. I didn't know too much about the Indian Super League, but I have friends who have played here, who have only great things to say," said Costa, after completing the formalities of his contract.

"The new project at BFC is one that excites me, and I am eager to repay the trust of those who showed the faith to bring me here. I am aware that the club hasn't had a great run of late, but I want to show my experience and make sure that this season is different," Costa added.

Out of the six foreign players, a club can sign for the upcoming ISL season, Bengaluru has already announced four of them, Cleiton Silva, Erik Paartalu, Yrondu Musavu-King, and Alan Costa. Erik Paartalu, one of the longest-serving BFC players will fill the AFC quota for BFC, while it looks like King and Costa will make the center-back pairing for Marco Pezzaiuoli's men. All eyes of the fans will be on the next two signings that will fill the remaining two slots for foreign players.

"I'm happy to welcome Alan to Bengaluru FC. I think he is a very important player on the pitch and has a commanding personality off it. He is a natural leader and has captained teams that he has been part of in the past," said Bengaluru FC head coach Marco Pezzaiuoli on the signing of Alan Costa.

Bengaluru FC is back in action next month when they take on Maldives club Eagles FC in a 2021 AFC Cup playoff clash.