ISL 2020-21 news: Kerala Blasters signs Juande as Cidoncha replacement
ISL 2020: Juande is currently undergoing his mandatory quarantine at the team hotel and will start training with Kerala Blasters soon.
Published : Dec 28, 2020 17:57 IST
Kerala Blasters completed the signing of Spanish defensive midfielder Juande Lopez as a replacement for the injured Sergio Cidoncha in the ongoing edition of the Indian Super League.
The 34-year-old, who last played for Perth Glory in the A-League, is currently undergoing his mandatory quarantine at the team hotel and will start training with the team soon.
He has La Liga and Champions League experience with his boyhood club Real Betis, where he spent six years. He made a total of 69 appearances for the club and found the net three times. The hard tackling midfielder spent a short loan spell during the second half of the 2010-11 season and moved to the Belgian League to play for Westerlo for a season, scoring once in his 15 appearances.
“I am very excited to be a part of a great franchise like Kerala Blasters FC, a club which has the best fans in the entire country. I would like to thank the club management for this opportunity and can't wait to be there together with my teammates and the coaching staff to fight it out all-together”, said Juande on signing for the club.
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Following his time at Westerlo, he moved back to Spain to play in the Segunda Division for SD Ponferradina for two seasons before spending four seasons with Spezia in Serie B. The 2018 season saw Perth secure his services before receiving the call from Kerala Blasters.
“Juande is a very experienced player who will be a good replacement for Cido. He will bring us his experience and maturity. He is a player who can play different roles across the midfield. Though he is joining the squad much later, I hope to see him showcase his leadership skills on the boys”, said Karolis Skinkys, Sporting Director, Kerala Blasters.