East Bengal rope in Mehtab Hossain replacement

Reports suggest the Honduras international will replace the veteran midfielder who has left for the ISL...

East Bengal, the Kolkata giants, have secured the services of Honduran Olympian player Marcelo Espinal, according to Bengali newspaper Aajkaal. The Honduras international was part of the Honduras contingent that participated in the Rio Olympics in 2016.

Since the departure of Mehtab Hossain, the Kolkata-based club was rumored to be in the transfer market searching for a suitable replacement for the midfielder. In the process, the club identified the 24-year-old defensive midfielder Espinal to be a part of the squad for the upcoming I-League season later this year. A versatile midfielder, Espinal can also play in the heart of the defense in the center-back position which will hugely benefit the Red and Gold in the top flight.

In the last season, the Red and Yellow Brigade put together one of the most formidable midfields in the country on paper. However, the aging midfield failed to perform to its true potential and the results were visible to the naked eye in the matches against Churchill Brothers (home), DSK Shivajians (away), Aizawl FC (away).

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According to Aajkaal, talks were ongoing for some time between the midfielder and the club. However, the six feet tall defensive midfielder only signed for the club on Wednesday, the newspaper reported. The La Ceiba born player was previously playing for his local team C.D.S. Vida in the Honduran football league and will join East Bengal shortly.

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East Bengal have already roped in Aizawl FC’s I-League winning midfielder Mahmoud Al Amnah for the Calcutta Football League (CFL). Now with the arrival of Espinal, a working double pivot of the Honduran and Amnah might do wonders for the Bengal giants and help them claim I-League glory for the first time in several years.

On the other hand, East Bengal have also decided to retain the services of Trinidadian striker Willis Plaza for the CFL. However, in the scenario of Plaza failing to do his job, the East Bengal officials are said to be keeping a close tab on former Churchill Brothers striker Anthony Wolfe, Aajkaal also reported. Wolfe has been a part of the Trinidad & Tobago squad for the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers and might prove to be an asset for East Bengal in the upcoming I-League next year.