Lion City Sailors score coup with two-time J1 League top scorer Anderson Lopes

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Anderson Lopes, Lion City Sailors new signing from Yokohama F. Marinos, at the Lion City Sailors training centre on July 15.

ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG

Summary

• Lion City Sailors signed Anderson Lopes from Yokohama F. Marinos on a three-year deal to enhance their squad after their historic ACL Two final run.
• Lopes, a proven goal scorer with over 100 J1 League goals, chose Singapore despite offers from elsewhere.
• The Sailors have also signed Safuwan Baharudin, Ivan Susak and Tsiy-William Ndenge, aiming for success in the SPL, Singapore Cup, Asean Club Championship and ACL2.

AI generated

SINGAPORE – The Lion City Sailors’ unprecedented run to the AFC Champions League Two final in the 2024/25 campaign made clubs in the continent sit up and take notice.

And ahead of the new season, Singapore’s only privatised football club are not resting on their laurels.

The Singapore Premier League and Singapore Cup champions on July 17 confirmed that they have signed Brazilian forward Anderson Lopes from five-time J1 League champions Yokohama F. Marinos on a three-year contract.

While the Sailors did not disclose the transfer fee, The Straits Times understands that it is lower than the club’s record fee of €1.8 million (S$2.69 million) that it paid to sign Brazilian midfielder Diego Lopes from Portuguese Primeira Liga side Rio Ave in 2021, and the reported €1.5 million fee to Dutch Eredivisie side Utrecht for attacking midfielder Bart Ramselaar.

The signing of Lopes, 31, from the Marinos is a coup for the Sailors and Singapore