Odisha make big move with Lobera signing, now turn focus on ‘champion’ players

Panaji: Odisha FC have completed the signing of Spanish coach Sergio Lobera, who won a historic double with Mumbai City FC in 2020-21 and the Indian Super League (ISL) winners’ shield with FC Goa.

The hugely-successful coach spent a year in China with League One side Sichuan Jiuniu, but when it became clear that he wanted to break ties with the City Football Group (CFG) and return to India, several clubs dialled his number.

East Bengal, in fact, thought they had his word, while other clubs persisted in the hope of securing his prized signature. In the end, it were Odisha who convinced him with a ‘project’ that went beyond the first team.

“When we reached out to him, there was uncertainty whether he would even consider Odisha, but once we started speaking and presented our project, he knew what we aim to achieve,” Odisha president Raj Athwal told TOI on Wednesday. “I know a lot of people use the term ‘project’ loosely, but at Odisha, we want to truly build a sustainable club. I’ve got to praise (general manager) Abhik (Chatterjee) for making more of an effort, rather than just wait for things to happen. I’ve got to praise him for taking the initiative to reach out to him.”

During the four years that he spent here, Lobera developed a reputation of someone who made his teams play attractive football and also win trophies. Like Athwal pointed out, “Sergio made average players good and good players excellent.”

So, was it difficult to get Lobera to sign on the dotted line?

“He is very straightforward person, honest and does what he says. Honestly, there were no difficulties, and if you ask him, he will say the same. His questions were about the team, infrastructure, training ground and we were honest right from day one. We were honest how we see football grow. We have to respect the fact that he has built teams and made champions. That’s really what attracted us to him,” said Athwal, who has previously worked with Watford, Rangers and Coventry City in UK.

Having signed Lobera, Odisha are now keen to provide him with the players who can help the team finish higher than the sixth position they achieved in this season’s ISL. There’s also the matter of making their debut in the AFC Cup, thanks to their impressive Super Cup triumph last month.

According to sources, Lobera is keen to reunite with players who know what is expected of them and were champions during stints at Goa and Mumbai. Moroccan midfielder Ahmed Jahouh, Senegalese defender Mourtada Fall, besides Mandar Rao Desai and Lenny Rodrigues are now prime targets for Odisha.

Spanish midfielder Edu Garcia, who was with Lobera in China, is also understood to be on the list.

“We have already spoken to Sergio about team formation,” said Athwal. “He has his targets and the targets are pretty well-known (players). We will be competing on three fronts (next season), so will need to bring in quality and experience which can blend with the squad that we have.”


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