ISL 2024-25: All six foreigners of East Bengal

The Torchbearers have made bold moves to strengthen their foreign contingent ahead of ISL.

East Bengal have once again enlisted the services of the Indian Super League’s (ISL) best foreigners ahead of the 2024-25 season.

They went ahead and signed former Mohun Bagan Super Giant centre-back Spaniard Hector Yuste. They have also managed to lure in Madih Talal, who provided a league-high 10 assists for Punjab FC last season.

One might think that’s where the curtains fell. But, East Bengal went one step further and convinced Dimitrios Diamantakos to join the project. The Greek striker has been a hit with Kerala Blasters, scoring 23 goals and registering six assists in only 38 appearances for the past two seasons.

Apart from these three, here are all six foreigners for East Bengal in ISL 2024-25.

Hijazi Maher

The 26-year-old centre-back made 17 appearances for Carles Cuadrat’s men and helped them keep six clean-sheets. Hijazi Maher was massive at the heart of the defence with 74 tackles won and 88 recoveries made in the ISL.

The Jordan defender was also a crucial part of the Kalinga Super Cup 2024-winning side, scoring against Sreenidi Deccan in the group and Jamshedpur FC in the semi-finals, while playing in every game. Accordingly, the management has been pleased to retain the proven leader for another season.

Saul Crespo

The Spanish central midfielder was tasked with pulling the strings in the middle of the park for East Bengal last season. But as one of the double pivots, he had to get on the end of a lot of moves, which helped him get four goals in the league.

Apart from his 81% passing accuracy, Saul was also adept at stopping the opposition as he made 84 recoveries and won 85 duels. It will be interesting to see how Cuadrat pairs the tempo-dictating midfielder with Madih Talal.

Cleiton Silva

The Brazilian goal-machine has no intention of slowing down as he was consistent with eight goals and three assists last season.

This season Cleiton will have a possible partner/competitor in Diamantakos based on the formation that Carles Cuadrat fields. In either situation, he is bound to be an asset and will push the new signing to improve as well.

Hector Yuste

The Spanish centre-back played in a majority of Mohun Bagan Super Giant’s games last season. Hector Yuste also helped the side win the Durand Cup in 2023 and the ISL League Winners’ Shield in 2024, but wasn’t retained by the club.

Capitalizing on this potential lapse, arch-rivals East Bengal quickly snapped him up while their initial pursuit of another Mariners player, Anwar Ali, got derailed due to legal complications.

Yuste will no doubt be an absolute rock in the Torchbearers’ defence while also being a threat from set-pieces, as he scored twice from the same last time out. Cuadrat’s only concern would be managing the player’s rash personality, as he was sent off once and went into the book thrice.

Dimitrios Diamantakos

With a superb return of 35 goal contributions in only 44 appearances for Kerala Blasters, Diamantakos is a proven product in the ISL. The Greek target man boasts an enviable assemblage of attributes that make him the perfect striker to lead any attack.

Be it dribbling in tight spaces, an explosive burst of pace, pinpoint passing, hold-up play or laser-guided finishing, the centre-forward has it all. Cleiton’s presence will only enhance that skill-set as fans can only dream about the possibilities.

Not a myth, now a fact!✌️Yes, Dimitrios Diamantakos is officially a Red & Gold! ❤️💛#JoyEastBengal #Dimi2026 pic.twitter.com/qY8hXhgAmK

— East Bengal FC (@eastbengal_fc) June 14, 2024

Madih Talal

The French midfielder is East Bengal’s best reinforcement in the creative department this season. Talal topped the charts for assists (10) with debutants Punjab FC last season and was the only player to have his tally in double digits.

If he can do that for the Shers, one can only imagine what he can achieve in a squad like East Bengal with so much depth in each position. The No. 10 loves to dwell on the ball and with the Torchbearers he can be much more assured that he will see much more of it..

Kicking off the season with +3️⃣ points 💪 Joy East Bengal ♥️ 💛 #IndianOilDurandCup2024 #JoyEastBengal #MT8 pic.twitter.com/3irI6kjYDR

— Madih Talal (@MadihTalal8) July 30, 2024

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