Alan Stevanovic: Three things to know about Jamshedpur FC’s latest signing
After announcing their new head coach, Jamshedpur FC have got straight to business and have signed their first foreign player, Alen Stevanovic, for the upcoming season on a two-year contract.
Jamshedpur FC, after announcing their new head coach, have got straight to business and have signed their first foreign player, Alen Stevanovic, for the upcoming season on a two-year contract.
Being the Men of Steel’s first signing of the season, the Swiss-Serbian is expected to have a profound impact on the team given his wealth of playing experience in six countries. With versatility as his biggest asset, Stevanovic has played across eight positions in his career spanning close to 300 appearances.
The 32-year-old makes his move to the former Hero Indian Super League (ISL) Shield winners after spending the latest season with Serbian side FK IMT Belgrad. The midfielder racked up nine assists and netted three goals across 25 matches for his former club.
On that note, let us discover five things about Stevanovic:
Italian champion with Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan
The midfielder started his senior career with Serbian side Radnicki Obrenovac and made 12 appearances for them before Mourinho’s Inter approached the club for a transfer. Under the Portuguese head coach, Stevanovic was largely an unused substitute and couldn’t garner playing time. Mourinho, however, handed his debut late into the 2009-10 season when he came on as a substitute for Thiago Motta.
A proven winner at multiple clubs
After his season-long stint with Inter Milan, the winger plied his trade with Toronto FC in North America’s Major League Soccer (MLS) and won the Canadian Cup. The subsequent season, Stevanovic represented Torino FC and helped them gain promotion from Serie B to Serie A – the first-tier of the Italian league.
Moving back to Europe, his exploits in Serbia with FK Partizan Belgrade in 2015-16 and 2016-17 led to the club winning their fourth and fifth Serbian Cup, respectively, contributing 12 goals in 47 appearances. In the 2018 season, the midfielder made his Asia debut after playing for Shonan Bellmare in the Japanese league. In his only season in the J1 league, he won the Japanese league cup with Shonan Bellmare.
Versatility and multiple playing styles
Stevanovic will be a critical creative addition to a Jamshedpur FC team that has lacked the final touch to the playmaking in the final third of the pitch. A playmaker who can operate between the thin lines of midfield and attack, the midfielder is known to break the play and is a natural ball progressor.
Stevanovic’s dribbling and shooting ability is second to none. He will be extremely vital in their build-up play, right from collecting the ball in the midfield to finding the right final pass in the final third. Under new head coach Scott Cooper, the team will probably be built around him as the chief orchestrator of play.