Kerala Blasters sign defender Aibanbha Dohling

The deal will expire in 2026

Kerala Blasters have confirmed the signing of Indian defender Aibanbha Dohling on a long-term deal. The Tata Football Academy product has signed a three-year contract with the club, which will expire in 2026.

The Tuskers have confirmed that they have agreed an undisclosed fee with fellow Indian Super League (ISL) side FC Goa for the signing of the 27-year-old defender.

Dohling is now a pretty experienced campaigner in Indian football. He had his breakthrough at I-League side Shillong Lajong in 2016, spending three years with the Northeast side. A product of the acclaimed Lajong academy as well, he earned a move to FC Goa in 2019 following a successful period with the I-League side.

What are Kerala Blasters getting in Dohling?

The 27-year-old didn’t really get that much game-time in his debut season, only making one appearance in the Indian Super League (ISL) in the 2019-20 campaign. He would go onto get more appearances in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 campaign, even winning the 2021 Durand Cup title with the Gaurs.

After falling out of favour at the club since last season, Dohling has opted to try a new experience with the Tuskers. The 27-year-old could actually prove to be a valuable addition to Ivan Vukomanovic’s squad, being quite the versatile and spirited defender.

He is naturally a centre-back, but can also slot in the left-back position if required. The 27-year-old has the ability to fit into the full-back role and play in that left-back position, with the Tuskers requiring more depth in the position after the departure of Jessel Carneiro.

Kerala Blasters’ summer transfer business so far

Kerala Blasters have been quite active in the transfer market before the start of the 2023/24 ISL season. They have already roped in a number of Indian defenders, including the likes of Prabir Das, Naocha Singh and Pritam Kotal. They have added experience and numbers in options in their backline, with Montenegro defender Milos Drincic also being signed in the summer.

Apart from that, they have also added some well-known names to their squad – including Ishan Pandita, Lara Sharma (on loan from Bengaluru FC) and the signing of star striker Jaushua Sotirio from Newcastle Jets FC. They also roped in another striker in Kwame Peprah to further bolster their numbers in attack ahead of the ISL campaign.

For Dohling, however, the situation is clear. He will need to work his socks off to get regular game time on Vukomanovic’s side. He faces stiff competition in that left-back role from Sndeep Singh, Naocha Singh and Denechandra Meitei, and will have to outperform them to feature for the Blasters in the ISL.

In the centre-back role, there is even more competition with the new defenders’ arrival as well as players like Marko Leskovic and Hormipam Ruivah already prominently featured in recent seasons. Dohling was on the bench for FC Goa’s matches in the 2023 Durand Cup before sealing his move to the Tuskers.

Kerala Blasters, on the other hand, had a disappointing Durand Cup campaign. They were eliminated from the group stages after only winning one of their four games, seeing rivals Gokulam Kerala finish over them. Vukomanvic’s side are still in pre-season and will hope to bounce back strongly in the upcoming ISL campaign.

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