ISL 2015: Mumbai City FC sign Spaniards Juan Núñez, Darren O'dea

Mumbai: In an effort to build a formidable outfit, Mumbai City FC have announced the signing of Spain’s Juan Aguilera Núñez and Darren O’dea of Republic of Ireland for the second season of the Indian Super League (ISL). [caption id=“attachment_1785021” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Having retained the star striker from last year, Mumbai fans would be expecting bigger and better things from Anelka. HISL[/caption] Juan Aguilera Núñez, a central midfielder is a Spanish professional footballer who played for Greek club Platanias FC from 2012 to 2015 with 82 appearances. His career began with amateurs Getafe CF B and CDA Navalcarnero, and then played three years in Segunda División B for another club in the Community of Madrid, CD Leganés. In 2008 he was transferred to Real Murcia, and made his debut with the first team in 2010, against Elche CF. He is a box to box player who is very sharp on the pitch. He is a team player and Mumbai City FC will expect him to be key player in linking the defense, midfield and attack. Darren O’dea, an experienced Irish centre-back is signed on by Mumbai City FC to bolster their defense. O’Dea has represented Ireland at under-21 and senior level, earning 20 caps since his 2009 debut. He started his career with Celtic in the 2006–07 season. Since then, he has won the Scottish Premier League twice, Scottish Cup, and the Scottish League Cup. He moved to Reading on a six-month loan for the first-half of the 2009-10 season, but returned to Celtic as the temporary captain of the club for the rest of the season. He was loaned to Ipswich Town and Leeds United for the 2010–11 and 2011-12 season respectively. He has also played with Toronto FC from 2012 to 2013. O’Dea spent the 2013–14 season with FC Metalurh Donetsk. Known to be a strong defender and acknowledged for his fantastic aerial duels, the 28-year-old will be the backbone of the Mumbai squad’s defense strategy. He has been brought into the club to be a leader, address defensive concerns from last season and have a positive influence in the dressing room. The Nicolas Anelka-coached side, which includes India national team captain Sunil Chhetri, will start its campaign against FC Pune City on 5 October. PTI