Having recruited David da Silva as well as bidding farewell to both Geoffrey Castillion and Wander Luiz, Persib Bandung have finally acquired the man who will act as David’s new partner in their attack. Contrary to popular rumors that have linked the likes of Ciro Alves, Bruno Matos, and Makan Konate to the Maung Bandung, Persib’s new foreign signing turns out to be an equally high-quality player to the aforementioned three yet he had flown underneath the radar until the last minute – former Viettel FC and Hanoi FC danger man Bruno Cantanhede.
Bruno, who scored the goal that won Viettel their 6th V.League 1 title back in 2019, joins Persib on a half-year-long contract, with an option to extend should his performance in the remainder of the 2021/22 Liga 1 Indonesia season was deemed to be satisfactory by the Maung Bandung coaching staff and management.
“Yes, we have indeed signed Bruno Cantanhede,” said Persib commissioner Umuh Muchtar when asked about whether the club has officially obtained the signature of the 28-year old Brazilian, as quoted from Indosport, “We’ve signed him until the end of this season and if he does well enough he’ll get an extension. Hopefully, he’ll do his best in making Persib better this season.”
The arrival of Bruno at Persib raised a few eyebrows in the club’s passionate fanbase, most of whom cited Bruno’s paltry goalscoring record at Hanoi to justify their doubts on the striker. However, one must remember that Bruno’s time with the Capital Team was plagued with injuries, and at his best Bruno has proven more than once that he’s a very capable player in front of goal – the 2019 V.League 1 top-scorer award being proof of his deadliness.
Bruno will partner up with David, another Brazilian striker with a proven track record in Southeast Asian football, as Persib seek to maintain their title charge in the 2021/22 Liga 1 season. It is hoped that the duo’s fearsome scoring record in Southeast Asian football would improve Persib’s goalscoring prowess, considering that both Castillion and Wander Luiz was deemed not good enough by the Maung Bandung management due to their unsatisfactory goal tallies.
Speaking about Wander Luiz, the former Becamex Binh Duong player is now closely linked with PSS Sleman, with Dejan Antonic’s men seeking to improve their striking options for the second half of the current Liga 1 season.
Elsewhere in the Indonesian top-flight’s mid-season transfer market, Malian playmaker Konate is currently being pursued by Persija Jakarta, Arema FC, and Persebaya Surabaya following Bruno’s signing effectively removing Persib from the race for his signature. The former Terengganu FC ace’s most likely destination would be Persija, with both Marco Motta and Yann Motta sweating over their future should the Macan Kemayoran make Konate’s signing official.