Top 3 players Kerala Blasters should target this summer
Without a trophy in the past five seasons, Kerala Blasters hoped to get things right in the sixth season with the appointment of head coach Eelco Schattorie. The Dutchman assembled a squad that looked superior to previous ones at least on paper. However, season six has turned out to be a bitter disappointment for the Blasters faithful.
Winless in nine matches, the season all but over. With no realistic chance of qualifying for the play-offs, the Blasters hierarchy should begin planning for next season in the coming weeks. Centre-back, central midfielder and a winger are three immediate needs. In this slideshow, we'll take a speculative look at players who would fill these aforementioned areas.
#1 Hans Mulder
The Dutch-Spanish midfielder was the heartbeat of the Delhi Dynamos team- driving attacks, tracking back, putting in tackles, winning duels, pressing opponents, setting up the strikers and scoring crucial goals.
With a passing accuracy of 80.69%, 98 tackles and 65 interceptions to his name, Mulder has been undoubtedly one of the standout midfielders in the Indian Super League. After two seasons with Delhi Dynamos FC, Mulder joined Chennaiyin FC for the third edition. The 32- year old currently plays for RKC Waalwijk in the Dutch Eredivise.
Although Mulder has played as central midfielder majority of his playing career, he is also capable of slotting in as a centre-back. In fact, according to WhoScored positional data, Mulder made more appearances at centre-back than central midfield this season.
A Mulder- Jhingan partnership could work well and give Blasters much-needed solidity in defence.