ISL 2017/18: Kerala Blasters sign Victor Pulga, drop injured Kizito Keziron from squad
Kerala Blasters have completed their quota of eight foreign players for the season, as they signed Victor Herrero Forcada, on the eve of their match against the high flying FC Pune City at the Balewadi Stadium.
The Blasters had been looking for a mid-season squad overhaul after former Liverpool custodian David James took over as the manager last month, and have already seen a couple of changes in their squad.
Their joint top scorer Mark Sifneos had already left the squad for to join title rivals FC Goa as a free agent, before being replaced by Icelandic striker Gudjon Baldvinsson. While they had also brought in Keziron Kizito in January, the Ugandan midfielder picked up a shoulder injury in his third match for the club, and had to be released, as he would have remained injured for the rest of the season.
As a replacement for Kizito, the Kochi-based side has brought in their former star Victor Pulga, to plug the gaps in their midfield.
Sportskeeda had earlier reported that Pulga was in close talks with Kerala Blasters over a return to the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium; he was even spotted attending one of their home games against bottom club Delhi Dynamos.
Pulga had played for Kerala Blasters in their first ISL season, when the men in yellow went all the way to the finals, only to lost to ATK. Previously, he had played for Spanish giants Villarreal's B team.
While his second season with the club was not as successful, he has been remembered as one of the crowd favourites, having played alongside current coach David James.
After leaving the blasters, Pulga had played in the Polish top division with Mitra Kukar FC, before moving to Majadahonda in the Spanish third tier. He had last played for Nacional Potosi in Bolivia.
Kerala Blasters had been like a sinking ship till January, till James took over at the helm of affairs. The Englishman seems to have stabilised things for the moment, as they garnered 10 points from the six matches they played last month.