Sydney FC have unveiled Brazilian striker Deyvison ‘Bobo’ Rogerio da Silva as their international marquee signing for the upcoming A-League season.
After months of searching for a striker, Graham Arnold focused on Brazil where Bobo had been playing for Gremio, scoring seven goals in 35 appearances.
The 31-year-old has also played for Corinthians and Besiktas in Turkey, winning trophies in both countries.
Arnold welcomed Bobo to Sydney and was excited to have the former Brazilian international on board.
“After a lot of searching, a lot of analysis, after [looking through] a lot of central strikers around the world, we finally came to the conclusion and settled on the one we believe will excite the Sydney FC fans and will excite the A-League,” Arnold said.
Arnold spoke highly of the Brazilian striker and highlighted the qualities that he will bring to the Sky Blues when the season kicks off in early October.
“You can see his size and his strength, but definitely his goal scoring ability. It’s one of the main things in football.”
“Last year we showed that we have no problem getting the ball into the areas, but to win games and score goals, it’s about having someone there who knows when to be in the right positions, it’s an instinct that you can’t teach. Bobo as two great feet, his left and his right. He’s a great finisher and very good in the air.”
“In the right place at the right time, his calmness under pressure, and his ability to score goals,” he said.
Speaking through his interpreter, Bobo revealed he knew enough about the club.
“I’ve heard a lot about Sydney FC with Del Piero and after that I got in touch with players like Juninho. It’s a new challenge in my life, a new country, a new quality of life,” he said.
The former Besiktas striker described himself to be very strong and very fast, with excellent movement on the field. But in the end, Bobo was only focussed on scoring goals and winning trophies.
When speaking about his aspirations and goals for the season with Sydney, Bobo kept it short and sweet.
“Sweat a lot, play strong and I hope to score a lot of goals. I hope to win the championship this year.”
Graham Arnold was adamant that Bobo was the right fit for Sydney and spoke about his determination to win a championship with the Sky Blues.
“It’s no secret Sydney have not won a trophy for six years. It’s going on seven years this year if we don’t win one so that’s motivation for the whole club – from the chairman of the board, the CEO, we’re extremely motivated to win silverware and Bobo has made it clear to us that that’s his drive, to win trophies.”
With Bobo sharing a similar style of play to Matt Simon, questions were raised on the pairing of the two and how Arnold’s team selection would be impacted.
“We’ll have competition for places, Matt Simon will fight for his spot just like the other 19 players. I want competition for spots, I want two quality players for each position. We’ve got good experience in the team and that’s the only way you can drive players for success.”
While Arnold is excited to unleash Bobo as soon as possible, he understands there will be an adjustment period while the team develops chemistry.
“Our recruitment on paper is very, very good. But we need to turn it from paper into reality on the football field. We have quality, it’s about the quality gelling together and working together. It’s going to take some time for Bobo to get used to the A-League.”
“We look forward to and are very excited for the next year of his time in Sydney,” he said.
After a less than impressive campaign last season, Sydney FC will be looking to improve their seventh-placed finish and push for an A-League title.
Outside of Bobo, Sydney FC have signed Alex Wilkinson, Michael Zullo and Joshua Brillante this off-season, alongside the return of Bernie Ibini on loan from Club Brugge in Belgium.
With the return of Tim Cahill to Melbourne City, this upcoming season may be one of the best Australian football has ever seen.
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