Elosu Signs for Exeter
Exeter Chiefs have increased their chances of Premiership survival next season by adding the experience of Ignacio Elosu to their squad.
Elosu joins from the champions of the Italian league, Viadana, and says he is looking forward to trying to do well in the Premiership against some very high class teams and players.
Exeter have been working very hard during the close season to improve the calibre of the playing staff at the club. They have made solid and positive signings that should help the club win a few more matches in the new season.
Elosu joins the club with a number of attributes that are very positive and should help the side. However, there are always going to be one or two problems when a foreign player joins an English club and it's important to consider these.
Attributes
The biggest attribute that Elosu possesses at this moment in time seems to be his ambition and eagerness. He says that he has been looking for a move into the Premiership for a long time but the success of his club side in Italy always made this a problem.
He will add real strength and size in the middle of the Exeter team. The team can defend around him or use him in the pack and scrum to try and get the team forward so they have more chances of scoring in the opponent's half.
He has some good experience that the club can use to help younger players in the team. He has played over 100 games in the best league that Italy has to offer and during this time he would have built up a good level of knowledge.
Exeter head coach, Rob Baxter, said: "I have been spending a lot of time looking to add a player to our front row and it has not been easy finding somebody who, along with our current props, will be able to cope with the pressure of the set-piece in the Premiership."
One or Two Dangers
There are one or two small dangers that the club are going to have to deal with and these are through no fault of the player. He is an Argentine and he does not speak English fluently. It's important that he can communicate well with other members of the team because he plays in a very competitive area of the team where there is a great deal of player traffic.
The player could take a while to settle down but the club should not worry about any home sickness. He settled well enough in Italy and he may miss Argentina a little bit but this should not be an issue, which disrupts him.
There is always the chance that the arrival of a new player is going to upset someone already at the club who believes they should be in the team. This could be a young player or someone who has been on the fringes of the team for a long time. This player could visually be annoyed and feelings of sympathy could spread quickly to other members of the team.
Betting Advice
Exeter are looking more and more likely to stay up next season and this signing only increases their chances of doing so. If you can still get some good odds on Exeter staying up then back them to do so. There are other clubs who look in more difficult positions than Exeter and the club have to be praised for the way they have handled the close season. Avoid any bets on Elosu because he will not be the person in the attacking positions.
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