The journey towards the upcoming ISL season has been nothing short of an emotional rollercoaster for clubs and fans alike, and like a few other clubs Kerala Blasters are also looking to survive this cold season with a couple of signings that have ignited a bit of warmth in the form of hope in the hearts of the fans, who are more impatient than ever to look how their new players and ultimately their team would perform. Here we’re gonna be discussing the foreign quota of the Blasters this season:
10: Marlon-Roos Trujillo
At just 22 years of age, the German-Colombian is one of the, if not the youngest foreigner to partake in the ISL this season. While primarily expected to fill in the Attacking Midfield role left by club legend, Adrian Luna (who is on loan at Persik Kediri till the end of the season), the man from Frankfurt can play anywhere in the attack and is expected to be a regular starter under David Català.
Pros:
Young: As I mentioned already, Marlon is really young when compared to an average ISL foreigner and young foreign players have almost always left an impression on the league.
Versatile: Another previously mentioned point – Marlon is a versatile player, despite being primarily an attacking midfielder, he has also been utilized as a Center Forward, as a Winger on both the flanks (i.e., LW & RW), and also as a Defensive Midfielder. This gets even more impressive when you realize that he has covered all these roles in just his last season, that too in the starting 11, a possible indication of how vital he can be for his team, providing depth and tactical flexibility.
Promising: Forged in the youth ranks of Bundesliga sides Eintracht Frankfurt and 1. FSV Mainz 05, Marlon has represented Germany’s U-16, U-17, and U-18 national teams. Highly rated during his time in Germany, Marlon is a player of high potential, and if things go positively, he could become one of the finest AMs in the history of the club.
Cons:
Comparative Lack of Senior Team Experience: Whenever a young player comes, the first question asked is about his experience. Despite his quality experience in youth levels, this season is just his 3rd career season for the senior team of a club, and how much will this have an effect on his gameplay is to be seen.
Adaptation to the Indian Conditions: This is one of the, if not the biggest question posed to each and every foreign player who comes to the ISL. Adaptation to the Indian conditions is a tricky process and especially in this season set to start within just 2 weeks, with a truncated league phase, quick adaptation is more necessary than ever.
39: Kévin Yoke
The 29-year-old French winger arrives from Super League 2 (Greek 2nd Tier) side PAE Chania, is expected to be more or less a like-for-like replacement of fan-favorite Moroccan star winger, Noah Sadaoui, who bid adieu to the club this January as a consequence of the uncertainty surrounding the ISL back then. A product of the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) youth system, Yoke has spent all of his career in both France and Greece, and his move to KBFC marks his first step outside of European football.
Pros:
Pace & Physique: Yoke’s dominant traits are his pace and physique, and the Indian football scene values those attributes very highly. His pace helps him be a formidable threat during counters and high pressing, and his physique helps him hold the ball and win duels upfront against physical opponents, and this provides the team with a reliable forward option, esp. in games against physically dominant opponents. His physical prowess also makes him a good asset for head coach David Català and his plans for the upcoming season.
Technical Ability: Yoke shows good technical prowess with his ability to carry the ball forward and take on (dribble past) defenders on the flanks when he feels the need for it, and provide crucial crosses into the box at times, highlighting the impact he could have on the pitch for the team. This Ball-carrying ability of his is another one of Català’s system requirements, which could potentially translate into Yoke having a crucial role to play this season.
Recent Gametime: Yoke’s last appearance came on 29th November 2025 – a very recent appearance compared to the rest of Blasters’ foreign signings till now. This recent gametime could mean Yoke could adapt faster and regain fitness quickly enough without losing much match sharpness (those of you who are familiar with EA’s FIFA/FC games would understand better 🙂 )
Cons:
Lack of Goals (Form): Foreign Wingers in ISL are primarily signed for one purpose: Scoring Goals. Yoke, despite having a good profile otherwise, lacks in stats of goals, with the Frenchman only having found the net 7 times in his career. Yoke’s lack of goals is concerning, considering he’s the replacement for an almost consistent goalscoring winger in Noah Sadaoui, and the fans will be expecting him to turn things around for a positive end-of-season result for the Blasters.
Same Same not Different? When we said he’s a more-or-less like-to-like replacement of Noah Sadaoui, we were not only talking about his strengths but about his weaknesses as well. Noah and Kévin share the same Kryptonite – their tendency to Overdribble. Both players, despite having dribbling skills more than enough to beat the necessary challenges, tend to keep the ball a bit too long and dribble with it more, eventually making it easier for the opposition to read and defend them.
Adaptation to the Indian Conditions: As I mentioned earlier, this is Kévin’s first time outside European football and how quickly he adjusts to Indian conditions might just dictate how his time at KBFC goes.
21: Matías Hernández
The 28 y/o Spanish Defensive Midfielder was destined to play in Kerala this season, one way or another. Initially signed by Gokulam Kerala FC this season, the man from Salamanca played for them in the IFA shield before leaving the club and making his move to the only club from Kerala playing in the Top-Tier league currently for the remainder of the season.
Pros:
Indian Experience: As I mentioned earlier, Matías has already made his debut in Indian Football during his time at Gokulam and thus has the most experience in the Indian Football scene when compared to other foreigners currently at the club. The value of Indian Experience at this time, I believe, is pretty well known, and thus I’m leaving this here.
Versatility: Matías, much like Lagator before, is a player who can handle both DM and CB roles, making him a valuable asset for the team.
Cons:
Defensive-Mindedness: While not necessarily a concern, Matías isn’t a deep-lying playmaker like Jahouh; Matías more or less follows the same playstyle of Lagator as a Destroyer type of defensive midfielder. The lack of creativity in the DM role has been an issue for the Blasters in previous seasons, but how will this go is yet to be seen.
7: Víctor Bertomeu
In my humble personal opinion, this is the most Díaz-esque signing that the Blasters have pulled off since the signing of Díaz himself back in 2021-22.
The 33 y/o Spaniard comes to India with quite a nice reputation in Asian Football, especially in the blue shades of Eastern SC, where he had 33 G/A within 66 appearances for the club over two spells, winning both the Hong Kong FA Cup and the Hong Kong Senior Shield in his second spell with them (i.e., 2024-’25 season).
He also spent time in the Indonesian 2nd tier for Gresik United in between his two spells at Eastern SC, leading Gresik United to a respectable 2nd place finish in Group Z, Championship round and ended the season as their Top-Scorer with 7 Goals.
A youth career shared between Amposta and Gimnàstic, Bertomeu spent the lion’s share of his senior career in Spain, appearing for the likes of Amposta, Pobla Mafumet, Gimnàstic, Ascó, Peralada, Horta and Prat before his foray into Asian Football. He last played for Serie D side SSD Ischia Calcio, where he found the net once in his 6 appearances for the club before leaving the club in mid-October last year.
The Blasters have had a good history with Spanish forwards from Álvaro Vázquez to Jesús Jiménez, and finally Koldo Obieta, and Víctor Bertomeu is expected to carry on this legacy as the latest addition to this sequence.
Pros:
Asian Experience: As mentioned earlier, Víctor Bertomeu is no stranger to Asian Football. His limelight years have come in Asia, and he has experience in the AFC Cup and the AFC Champions League 2 as well, which further adds to his resume. His experience in Asian Conditions could translate into a quicker adaptation to Indian conditions, which is crucial in the current state of the league.
Pace & Press: Apart from the Asian Experience factor, this is one point where I’ve felt similarities with Díaz – his pace and pressing style. Bertomeu is seen trying to press and win the ball from the opposition defense using his pace, and also trying to break the opposition’s defensive line with good runs in behind the defenders, again with the help of his pace. ISL is a league where such type of strikers usually shine (provided there’s good supply to them), and every KBFC fan would be sincerely hoping for the Spaniard to come in clutch this season.
Set-piece Option: Bertomeu has shown the ability to take key set-pieces like Penalties and free kicks, with a focus on power. The Blasters lacked a dedicated set-piece taker post the departure of Luna, and Bertomeu could just be the man the Blasters are looking for.
Cons:
Age & Recent Injury Concerns: At 33 years-old, Víctor isn’t the oldest striker in the ISL, but his age is a concern with regards to his recent injury concerns, as Bertomeu has missed 57 days (~ 2 months) due to Knee injuries alone last season. This is more concerning as the league phase this season just lasts for 93 days (~ 3 months), and the Blasters do not have a backup foreign Center-Forward in case his injuries continue to haunt him, a case not too unfamiliar for the Blasters.
2: Oumar Bah
Standing at 1.90 metres tall, the Center-Back is, as of now, the last foreign signing for the Blasters this season. Bah is the riskiest signing the Blasters have made this season, considering his long time of inactivity and among the fans, his comparatively smaller CV is also raising concerns on whether or not he was the right pick as the only foreign CB, especially considering the lack of clarity on the possibility of relegation implementation in the league this season.
Notably, Oumar has spent the lion’s share of his career in Spain, mostly in the 5th tier of Spanish Football, including his last stint at UE Vilassar de Mar before joining the Blasters.
Pros:
Physicality: Oumar is a player who uses his physical advantage to its fullest. He uses his long reach, courtesy of his legs, for tackles and interceptions and his imposing height as a tool to win aerial duels. His aerial ability is arguably his forte, as his formidable aerial presence has been used by teams to both defend and score goals, something the Blasters fans would be hoping to see in the ISL, as well as the Blasters have been lacking a target man in corner scenarios post the departure of Juan Rodríguez as a consequence of the ISL uncertainty back then.
Spanish Experience: As I mentioned earlier, Lion’s share of Oumar’s career has been spent in Spain. Despite hailing from the fifth tier of Spanish football, Oumar can be expected to show that Spanish flair in his style of play, something which could help him fit into Català’s system with ease.
Cons:
Inactivity: Biggest concern surrounding Oumar is his recent spell of inactivity, as Oumar’s last recorded professional appearance came more or less a whole year prior, and the last time KBFC had such a defensive signing was in the 2020-21 season, which went… poorly, to say the least. The Blasters fans will be hoping that such a scenario won’t be repeated in the case of Oumar, as the stakes are higher this season.
Adaptation to the Indian Conditions: Oumar’s move to India, much like the majority of the Blasters’ foreign signings this season, marks their first move outside European football and adaptation to Indian conditions is an aspect that is more crucial than ever, and particularly in the case of Center-Backs, adaptation to Indian referees is also crucial 🙂
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