Exclusive: Kerala Blasters rope in Jessel Carneiro from Dempo SC

The former Pune FC defender recently captained Goa in the Santosh Trophy.

After an utterly disappointing season in the Indian Super League (ISL), Kerala Blasters are all set to seek redemption in their next campaign as they have been quite busy in the transfer business so far.

Only a month ago, the club appointed former NorthEast United boss Eelco Schattorie as their new head coach. Along with the Dutchman also came in the likes of Bilal Khan from Real Kashmir, Mario Arques from Jamshedpur while Bartholomew Ogbeche of the NorthEast fame is also believed to follow his former coach’s footsteps to Kerala.

If that wasn’t all, in a latest, the club also brought in Jessel Carneiro from Dempo SC, who captained Goa during the recently concluded Santosh Trophy. The defender is seen as a suitable option for Schattorie and could make up the depth of the team for the season.

The 28 year-old has a prior experience of playing in the I-League with Dempo SC as well as the now disbanded Pune FC. It is believed that Carneiro would make a second-team player for the Blasters considering this would be his debut season in the ISL.

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Moreover, it would be a tough task for the Goa-born to immediately replace the likes of Sandesh Jhingan, Anas Edathodika and other big names in the list. However, his experience in the I-League would come handy for the coach and the lad has the potential to impress his critics despite coming from the lower division of football in the country.

Further, as several players have joined the ranks at the club, a few have gone on to depart too including the likes of Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem and Seiminlen Doungel. Nevertheless, it seems that the Blasters are en route building a strong squad for the upcoming season as they prepare to compete for the playoffs once again.