ISL 2017: Delhi Dynamos tried to sign Gustavo dos Santos earlier this season
What’s The Story?
Delhi Dynamos are struggling badly in the current ISL season as they have only managed to bag a single win in their four outings so far. They started off with a 3-2 victory over FC Pune City but since then, they have lost to Bengaluru FC, NorthEast United and Jamshedpur FC.
The struggling Dynamos are in search of a striker or an attacking midfielder and they tried to sign Gustavo dos Santos, who played for them in the first two seasons. Unfortunately, their effort to sign dos Santos fell apart.
The context
Dos Santos had played for the Delhi Dynamos in the first couple of ISL seasons, and was one of their standout players. Along with former Chelsea star Florent Malouda, he was one of the main attacking influences in the second season.
The heart of the matter
The Dynamos have struggled badly this season, having lost three out of the four games they have played so far. One of the main issues with them seems to be the lack of attacking intent, despite the fact that coach Manuel Portugal often emphasises on possession football.
A number of frustrated fans had tweeted about the poor quality of football, which according to them, have accounted for the low attendances at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi, which is their home ground.
Some of them even pleaded with club director Rohan Sharma to sign their former star from Brazil.
Surprisingly, Sharma replied back, saying that the club had indeed tried to sign Dos Santos at the start of the season.
However, due to a long-term commitment he had with Dubai-based club Al-Ittihad Kalba, they were unable to sign the Brazilian.
What’s next
Delhi need to turn things around quickly as they are tattering at the bottom half of the table. With the January transfer window fast approaching, the Dynamos will be looking to fill up the final foreigner slot in their squad.
Author’s take
As far as quality is concerned, Dos Santos will certainly provide Delhi a lot of impetus going forward. However, since signing him does not seem to be an option right now, the Dynamos must turn their attention to the other top player who are available on the transfer market.