Dempo SC rope in Billy Mehmet

Panaji: Dempo SC managed to pull yet another surprise from Europe by signing a former West Ham Academy player and ex-Ireland U-21 striker Billy Mehmet for the upcoming season, Dempo SC media officer Abhijit Patil said.

Billy Mehmet, who was born in London, is of part English, Irish and Turkish descent. He started his playing career at the West Ham Academy where he was on the radar of several Premier League clubs like Arsenal, Milwall and Norwich. On account of his agility and ball control, he later became a star player at St. Mirren in the Scottish Premier League where he scored record goals in five years. Known for his brilliant body control and attacking play, 29-year-old Mehmet will prove to be a positive move for the Eagles who finished 5th in the I-League last season. "Arthur (Papas) made it clear that he wanted me to sign for the club and I`m confident with his guidance we can achieve success," said the 6-ft tall striker. He also expressed his happiness upon moving to India saying, "I`m happy to be joining Dempo and I`m looking forward to a new challenge with the I-League`s most successful team. I`m confident we can better last season`s league position." Expressing optimism about Mehmet`s chances in the I-League, Dempo coach Arthur Papas said, "Billy Mehmet is a player who joins the club after a strong career playing in Scotland, Turkey and in the A-League with Perth Glory as well as representing the Republic of Ireland at U21 level. "Having seen him numerous times up close in the A-League...He was a real handful for defenders to deal with, and we will be looking to provide a style of play that lets him maximise his characteristics." "One of the other areas that impressed me about Billy is his ability to positively influence the younger players he has played with and with much change in our squad we needed to identify a positive role model in addition to the right footballer," the coach added. PTI