ISL: Who is East Bengal's new signing Richard Celis?

Richard Celis has joined East Bengal as a replacement for Madih Talal

Venezuelan footballer Richard Enrique Celis Sanchez has made a move to Indian football in the January transfer window. The 28-year-old will play in the Indian Super League (ISL) representing East Bengal for the remainder of the season.

The Red & Golds suffered a massive setback in December after their star midfielder Madih Talal was ruled out for the rest of the season after picking up an ACL injury. Richard Celis has been signed as a replacement for the French footballer and he is expected to come to India this week.

Here’s a look at Richard Celis’ player profile so far:

Career

Born in Maracaibo, Venezuela, Richard Celis started his professional career with Atletico Venezuela in 2013, where he represented the club in two Primera Division games that season.

Following his stint with Atletico, Celis also represented Deportivo JBL del Zulia before moving to Slovakia with FK Senica. After playing for two seasons in the Slovakian first division, the forward returned to Venezuela with Caracas and represented them for three seasons.

Richard Celis won the Venezuelan Primera Division with Caracas in 2019. His best came to the forefront in 2021 when he scored 18 goals in 31 games for his club.

Following his second stint in Venezuela, Celis moved to Colombia representing Millonarios where he failed to adapt successfully. However, Milionarios did manage to win Copa Colombia that season.

The forward eventually returned to his home country in 2023 with Caracas once again, before moving to Academia Puerto Cabello in 2024.

Owing to his good form, Richard Celis also got to represent the Venezuelan national team. The forward played for his nation in the CONMEBOL Copa America in 2021 and also took part in the FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifiers. Overall, he has four appearances for his national team.

Playing Style

Richard Celis is a right-footed player who can play as a left-winger or a striker. With Clieton Silva and Dimitrios Diamantakos already in the club as strikers, we can expect the new signing to play on the wings initially.

The Venezuelan is good in terms of finishing and has scored quite a few goals from the left side of the penalty box. Apart from his shooting, Celis also has a decent physique and pace that he can rely on to cause a nuisance in the ISL.

Celis is someone who can drop down to help out the midfield to build up the play. In 250 professional games, the 28-year-old has scored 48 goals and provided 27 assists for his teammates.

Swift as a leopard 🐆Fiery as the flaming torch 🔥Richard Celis is ready to hunt in 🔴🟡 colours! #JoyEastBengal #WelcomeRichard pic.twitter.com/klAjyUH1FU

— East Bengal FC (@eastbengal_fc) January 8, 2025

What to expect from Richard Celis in the ISL?

While Richard Celis is a replacement for Madih Talal on paper, the Venezuelan will be an entirely different prospect in the East Bengal jersey. While Talal was known more for his dribbling and ball-passing abilities, Celis’ main role will be to find the goals for his team.

East Bengal have been playing in a 4-4-2 formation recently with Cleiton Silva and Dimitrios Diamantakos upfront. To accommodate Celis, Oscar Bruzon would have to take out one of these two strikers from the starting XI.

The Red and Golds can also play a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-5-1 formation with Richard Celis and Vishnu PV on either wing to support the striker. The East Bengal manager used these formations initially when he first arrived at the club last year.

After scoring 18 goals in 2021, the Venezuelan has managed to score a total of 8 goals in the next three years. Expect Celis to play more of a supporting role while Dimantakos takes up the role of a chief goal scorer for the rest of the 2024-25 ISL season.

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