Kerala Blasters have signed 34-year-old Spanish defensive midfielder Juande Prados López as a replacement for the injured Sergio Cidoncha.
A product of the Real Betis youth academy, Juande turned pro with the club in 2005. He represented the club in La Liga and Spanish second tier Segunda División over the next six seasons. The period also included a loan spell at Granada CF.
After leaving Betis in 2011, Juande played club football in Belgium briefly followed by a stint at Spanish club SD Ponferradina. In 2014, Juande was on the move again – this time to Spezia Calcio and spent the next three seasons in the Italian second-tier Serie B.
Over the last couple of seasons, Juande switched over to the Australian A-League with Perth Glory – from where he joins Kerala Blasters on a free transfer.
In a decade and a half of club football, the Spaniard has featured in 156 matches in Segunda División, 61 in Serie B and 39 appearances in both the La Liga and A-League. Besides that, he has featured in numerous cup competitions and has also represented Spain at the U-21 level.
The defensive midfielder can slot in as a centre-back as well. Last season at Perth Glory, he averaged 0.9 interceptions/game, 2.3 tackles/game, 0.2 successful dribbles/game and possession lost at 10.1 times/game which pretty much signifies that he is likely to sit in his own half and screen his defence and driving play forward is not his forte.
With Kerala flush with options in the attacking mould, Juande as a replacement for Cido is more to solidify their midfield than have additional attacking options.
Be First to Comment