Jamshedpur FC signs Brazilian midfield maestro Rafael Crivallaro as Wellington Priori’s replacement

Jamshedpur FC have gone through some changes as they have mutually terminated Wellington Priori’s contract and have replaced him with another Brazilian midfielder, Rafael Crivellaro. The former Chennaiyin FC star player will be with the Men of Steel for the remainder of the 2022-23 Indian Super League season.

The reigning Shield Winners have had a forgettable season this time having lost the last five matches and are in the second last position only above NorthEast United. The Men of Steel have managed to muster a win and a draw from eight matches till now as they suffered from several injury concerns to their main players.

However with Crivellaro joining in, the motive will be to add more spark to the midfield and help the attackers with more supply from deeper positions. The club that won the league last season are simply a shadow of themselves have scored only six goals from eight matches and the fans will be hoping that Crivellaro adds that vital creativity that is needed for the forwards to get more goals.

It will be greta to see the experienced Brazilian to wear different colours than that of Chennaiyin FC’s blue and run the midfield. However his injury concerns are also known to all so it can be a very risky take for the Men of Steel aswell. Crivellaro’s quality is never in question but the Brazilian went through some tough time in the sidelines and it will be a challenge for him aswell to prove how well he is back to his original self.

The Brazilian was eagerly waiting for that opportunity and he therefore shares his gratitude to the club and the fans for their warm welcome. “I’m very happy to join Jamshedpur FC. This is a new challenge and a new beginning for me and I hope I can help the team succeed. The team has welcomed me with open arms and I’m very excited to work with the coach and everyone here,” said Crivellaro, in an official statement. He added: “I want to say thank you to the fans for the warm welcome and I’m very happy and excited to perform for them on the pitch.”

The 33-year-old is easily one of the most exciting midfielders in the ISL at least in recent times. He was a very integral part of guiding Chennaiyin FC to the finals of the 2019-20 season. He registered 8 assists which was the highest during that season alongwith seven goals which included some screamers.

The following season was a quiet one for the Brazilian maestro as he could only notch up a goal and an assist. He unfortunately missed the entirety of the 2020-21 season due to injury. So he will have to prove some point in this stint for Jamshedpur FC.

Head coach Aidy Boothroyd is very happy as he shared his thoughts regarding the new player joining the club. “I’m delighted that we have signed Rafael. It’s easy to see very quickly the qualities that he will bring to us. Rafael is a very talented player. He can link the defence to attack. He is very creative and looks very fit and I’m sure he is going to get plenty of assists for us” Boothroyd said.

The Men of Steel will be playing against ATK Mohun Bagan next and will be looking to end their horrible losing streak of five games. While they may aim for a win, a draw won’t be a bad option to start afresh.