Calcutta: If the first impression is the best then Japanese Ryuji Sueoka will be donning the green and maroon colours very soon. On trial, Ryuji impressed during a practice match against Peerless at the club ground on Wednesday. Bagan won 2-0 and both goals were scored by the Asian quota player.

A player whom coach Karim Bencharifa knows since his Singapore days, this 30-year-old has exceptional speed and control. He was on trial with Sporting Clube de Goa but since the Goans’ requirements changed — they are now scouting for a defender — Bagan did not waste any time and had him on the first available flight to Calcutta.

Bagan have hardly been outstanding in the defence themselves and, under the circumstances, raving over Ryuji seems surprising.

Bagan are already mulling applying for the international transfer certificate (ITC) and if the papers are in order, the Japanese will sign within a week.

Bencharifa is likely to use Ryuji behind the frontline duo of Jose Ramirez Barreto and Edeh Chidi. But the question that arises is whom to drop in the midfield when the Federation Cup begins in Guwahati in December.

Right wideman James Singh has been in fantastic form and has already earned a call-up to the national camp after six years while Manish Mathani, who has been included in the SAFF under-23 camp, has been a revelation at the centre of the park.

Then there is Snehasish Chakraborty on the left who too has been impressive and Brazilian Marcos Pereira is an automatic choice in central midfield. In all probability the axe will fall on Mathani. So, an Asian quota player comes and dislodges an Indian who has been doing well in his position.

Churchill tried something similar when they roped in Ryuji’s compatriot Dan Ito but Nascimento Silveria, who had made way for the Japanese, soon won back his place. That Churchill are a different side since coach Carlos Perrira decided to give Nascimento regular starts is another story.

One hopes Bagan won’t rush things and then rue having lacked foresight.

Bencharifa, though, refused to look too far ahead. “It’s early days. In a perfect world I would have asked the club to wait and watch. At least we should see him for six days. But the people who saw him today were bowled over by his talent”.

Interestingly Ryuji was on trial along with a Moroccan, when Bencharifa was the coach of a Singapore club. And he preferred a Moroccan over Ryuji as the striker. Although later, , when he was asked to select a Singapore all-Star squad to play a couple of friendly matches against international sides, Ryuji’s name was one of the first on his team list.

Meanwhile, Bagan dashed off a letter to the Indian Football Association (IFA) Wednesday regarding the Calcutta Football League.

The green and maroon brigade have made two specific requests in the letter. They have asked the IFA to see to it that both Bagan and East Bengal play equal number of matches in the lead up to the CFL derby scheduled for December 12. They also expressed a wish that they would like to play all their CFL matches, except the derby, at their own ground.