Simon Grayson on Bengaluru FC's new signing Pablo Perez’s fitness, his role and more
Bengaluru FC strengthened their squad with the signing of Spanish midfielder Pablo Perez on Monday and will be hoping that their new recruit will help them add much-needed creativity to their ranks.
Bengaluru FC strengthened their squad with the signing of Spanish midfielder Pablo Perez on Monday and will be hoping that their new recruit will help them add much-needed creativity to their ranks.
The Blues have scored just four goals in eight matches and have brought in the versatile Spaniard to change their fortunes in attack and feed the likes of Sunil Chhetri and Roy Krishna upfront.
Bengaluru FC head coach Simon Grayson, however, didn’t commit on when he will have his new acquisition available to him and kept everyone guessing.
“Pablo's done a lot of physical work in terms of conditioning, but he hasn't done a lot of football work in the last few months. I've got to decide whether he'll be involved this weekend. I don't want to rush him because I have to be careful,” Grayson said during the pre-match press conference ahead of the Kerala Blasters FC match.
“If not this weekend, he will get a full week's training next weekend and hoepfully should be available for the Jamshedpur FC match if I decide not to involve him for this weekend,” he added.
The Englishman has been impressed by Perez early on and expects him to seamlessly fit into the Blues’ squad given his technical quality.
“What we have seen in training is that he is a very good technical player. He is a nice lad and has settled into the group very quickly. In the short space of time that he's been here, he seems to have fitted in really well. He'll improve for sure, and our players are a good group that welcomes everyone in like a family,” Grayson said.
"Oooooh, Spanish friends." 🇪🇸 😅@javih89 and Pablo Peréz share a light moment in training. #WeAreBFC #NothingLikeIt pic.twitter.com/zHPgEPRRGa
— Bengaluru FC (@bengalurufc) December 7, 2022
Perez’s versatility is a virtue that has been talked about a lot and Grayson who likes to switch formations will benefit from it.
“Pablo is a versatile attacking player, he can play in a number of positions. He's a very good technician, handles the ball well and is a good size as well. When I spoke to him, he was very excited to join, and that was a big part,” Grayson said.
“Sometimes you speak to players, and they don't give you the right feeling or vibe about their reasons. I've received recommendations for him from Victor Orta, the Technical Director at Leeds, who spoke very highly of him. The versatility made it an easy decision,” he added.
It will be interesting to see if Grayson throws him in the firing line against Kerala Blasters FC or wait for him to get used to the environment. Bengaluru FC though are in desperate need of a win having won just two games in the entire Hero Indian Super League (ISL) campaign so far.