ISL 2020 -- Bengaluru FC sign Fran Gonzalez, Kristian Opseth to fill up foreign player quota
BENGALURU FC HAVE signed defensive midfielder Fran Gonzalez and striker Kristian Opseth on one season deals ahead of ISL 2020-21.
With these two latest recruits, the Blues have completed their quota of 7 overseason players. Along with these two, the other foreign players who will play for BFC in ISL this season are Juanan, Erik Paartalu (AFC quota), Deshorn Brown, Dimas Delgado and Cleiton Silva.
And, BOOM!????The Blues can confirm that Norwegian striker Kristian Opseth and Spanish defender Fran Gonzalez have signed season-long deals with the club. ????????
— Bengaluru FC (@bengalurufc) October 20, 2020
Give your fingernails a break now! #NewBlues #DeadlineDuo #WeAreBFC pic.twitter.com/ukQ1Pj6m7t
Spaniard Fran Gonzalez is no stranger to Indian football, having played for Mohun Bagan last season. He was one of the central figures in the Mariners' campaign to win the I-League. Although he had a year left on the contract, the new management of the Mohun Bagan football team chose not to keep him in the team. This led to a public disagreement between him and the club.
Hello my dear mariners! I hope this message finds you well! As you already know i have another season contract but unfortunately i still haven’t received any news from the club about the beginning of the trainings. They are not even replying my lawyer’s messages...@Mohun_Bagan pic.twitter.com/OHT86uJahy
— Fran Glez. (@FranGlez18) September 16, 2020
Although Gonzalez was initially expected to follow last season's Mohun Bagan head coach Kibu Vicuna to Kerala Blasters, the deal did not work out leading to a prolonged period of the former Zaragoza, Deportivo B and Pattaya United player to look for a new club, until he finally was signed by the Blues, who were looking to add proven-in-India talent to deepen their roster.
30 year old Norwegian striker Kristian Opseth, meanwhile, is the latest player from A-League to move to an ISL franchise. Last season, he was playing for Adelaide United. Before that, he was a European top flight regular, appearing for the likes of Songdal, Bodø/Glimt and Erzurum. He has played more than 200 professional club matches and makes for a reliable addition for Bengaluru FC, who are going to play not only in ISL but also in the AFC Cup 2021.
