FC Edmonton head coach Colin Miller may have found his replacement for Adam Eckersley.

On Thursday, FC Edmonton announced they signed English defender Netan Sansara, 27, who played in the Norwegian First Division last season. A natural left-footed player, Sansara is expected to fill the role so effectively occupied by Eckersley last season, who could not come to terms on a deal with Edmonton this year.

“I’m really looking forward to the challenge,” Sansara said prior to boarding a flight to Edmonton. “I’ve been playing in Norway and I’ve had three or four offers to stay in Scandinavia. But as soon as I spoke to Colin, he kind of sold the club to me and he really wanted me to part of his project.”

Born in Darlaston, England, Sansara spend the past three seasons with Fredrikstad of the Norwegian first division. In three years he made 53 appearances, scoring four goals from his left back position. He has also played Scotland, Cypress and Denmark. Sansara played a match with the England Under-19 national team in 2007.

“I’ve had a good three years in Norway,” Sansara said. “I’ve done well at the club here and I just wanted to have a change. I had an offer to go outside of Europe in the summer and I didn’t take it and now this has come at the right time and I’m ready for the challenge and I can’t wait to get going.”

Miller has been remaking his team this off-season after guiding them to a North American Soccer League playoff berth last year.

Along with Eckersley, FC Edmonton also lost striker Daryl Fordyce, who accepted an offer to play with Cincinnati of the United Soccer Leagues.

As well as bringing in Sansara, Miller has also re-signed strikers Tomi Ameobi and Jake Keegan along with defenders Karsten Smith, Shawn Nicklaw and Marko Aleksic. Midfielders Ben Fisk and Nik Ledgerwood are also back in the fold this season.

“I’m really looking forward to the season,” Sansara said. “I have a teammate of mind from the national team playing in North America and he’s told me a lot about it. I’ve already spoken to Nik Ledgerwood briefly by email.

“I know about the league. I had a chance to go to the USL a couple of years ago and I didn’t take the opportunity. But I know about it and the NASL. I have family in Calgary, actually. That’s my mom’s side of the family and my mom’s been to Canada a lot. I obviously haven’t travelled as much on that side of the world due to football and stuff, but I’ve researched the league and I know there are some good players there and I can’t wait to get going and test myself against the good players.”

Sansara should fit in well with Miller’s defensive philosophy. Edmonton were the best defensive team in the NASL last season.

“I like to think myself as a team player. I like to train well, I think I have a good mentality and I expect myself to be a consistent player,” Sansara said. “I want to be a player that everyone trusts and wants in the team. I look to defend first, I like to be tough in the tackle and enjoy my football and be an experienced head.”

FC Edmonton will play a 32-game schedule this season, split into a 16-game Spring Season and 16-game Fall Season. The Spring and Fall Season winners will be joined by the two teams with the next best overall records in the NASL playoffs.

Last season, Edmonton lost to the Indy Eleven in the semifinal, who in turn, were downed in a shootout by the New York Cosmos in the final.

FC Edmonton hopes Sansara helps them take the next step in their quest for an NASL championship. He’ll bring experience and leadership to the side.

“My first season we got to promotion and the second year I was the captain of the team in Norway,” Sansara said. “It’s been a great three years in Norway, my fiancee is Norwegian, so now we’re looking forward to coming over to Canada and enjoying this adventure and first and foremost enjoying our football. That’s kind of one of the reasons Edmonton stuck out for me, because I know Colin is very passionate about the way he coaches and what he expects from his players. Growing up in England, I’ve always had that kind of coach and it’s good to be part of that.”

Dvandiest@postmedia.com

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