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East looks for summer move

Published:Friday | May 29, 2020 | 12:08 AMRobert Bailey/Gleaner Writer
Jamaica’s Javon East reacts to a call by the referee during the Jamaica vs Aruba match in the Concacaf Nations League at the National Stadium on Saturday, October 12, 2019.
Gladstone Taylor
Jamaica’s Javon East reacts to a call by the referee during the Jamaica vs Aruba match in the Concacaf Nations League at the National Stadium on Saturday, October 12, 2019.

Having scored 10 goals so far in this season’s Costa Rican top-flight football competition, national striker Javon East says he will be seeking a move away from the club to Europe in the summer.

The 25-year-old East, who signed a three-year contract with Santos de Guaplies from Portmore United in January 2019, has scored 10 goals in 15 appearances this season.

However, with four matches still remaining in the season, Santos are currently ninth in the standings on 17 points and are out of contention for a spot in the play-offs.

East told The Gleaner from his base in Costa Rica that with the World Cup qualifiers just around the corner, a move to Europe will certainly improve his chances of making the national side.

“I know that the World Cup qualifiers are coming up and so I have to put in the work and get on a better team in the summer and, hopefully, to get into the national team,” said East.

“I am trying to move away from this club in the summer transfer window, that is my main focus right now,” he said. “I am aiming for Europe at all times and so I am looking forward to going to Europe this summer, and so I just want to finish the season strong in these last four games.”

DISAPPOINTED

The former Calabar High Manning Cup standout noted that he was very disappointed that his team failed to qualify for the play-offs this season, and added that his own goal return could have been better as well.

“I am very disappointed because we had games that we could have won and take us into the top four, but we failed to win those games,” said East. “I am not really pleased with my performance either, because I can do more and score a lot more goals for the club.”

The striker added that despite the recent suspension of the league due to the coronavirus outbreak, he has not been personally affected, pointing to his two goals since the league’s recent resumption.

“The coronavirus has not really affected my performance, because I have scored two goals out of three games since the league resumed from the coronavirus break,” East said.

East has scored one goal in 11 appearances for the Reggae Boyz since making his debut in 2018, but will be desperate to add to that tally in the near future.