Fanzone: Should Bengaluru FC look to promote more young players?

The Blues have enjoyed brilliant success since their establishment and look hungry for more trophies in the coming years.

Bengaluru FC have had a superb journey so far in Indian football, winning both the I-League and the Indian Super League on the way. The club have also built a solid youth setup and several young talents have emerged from the lower rungs.

However, as the Blues look forward to more titles in the coming years, a question arises as to whether they should rely on big signings or indulge in promoting more young players to the senior team. While discussing the same, Khel Now pit two Bengaluru FC fans against each other, who shared contrasting opinions on the matter. Let's take a look at the debate.

Tanmay Dutt (For Young Players)

Carles Cuadrat’s Blues have an abundant pool of local Indian players who have passed out from the Bengaluru FC Academy. Last season, these youngsters went on to become super-subs, changing the dynamic of many games.

According to me, these youngsters should be promoted as an integral part of the senior team. I’d like to raise a few points in favour of Bengaluru FC's focus on promoting their youngsters.

For starters, 19-year-old Suresh Wangjam has shown exceptional abilitity with his tackles, passing and athleticism. He is slowly transitioning into a reliable and key player in midfield. The man who was once the BFC B Player of the Year, however, lacks composure which can only be developed by allowing him to play regularly and giving him more minutes on the field.

Along with Suresh, Leon Augustine, Parag Shrivas and Namgyal Bhutia have also caught the eyes of fans with their style of play. Augustine’s play stoodout against ATK this season, with brilliant runs and assists. With his athleticism and ball control, he is a top-class winger that the team needs right now. The final match against ATK this season was a show of young talent with Suresh making the right passes, Leon making the run with the ball and assisting Kevaughn Frater and Parag along with Sairuat Kima building up a reliable defence.

Bengaluru FC need to give more playing time to the youngsters, as they can prove their worth like they did in the AFC Cup against Paro FC. With Parag and Gursimat's (Singh Gill) excellence on the defensive front, the team was able to restrict the Bhutanese team from scoring and providing crosses for former BFC star Chencho Gyeltshen.

These players have the skills to better the team with their play. Moreover, to understand the game, to better their mental ability and to complete themselves as players they must be trained in the senior team. They need to have more exposure and grow along with the club. The youngsters can develop teamwork, tactical abilities and comraderie when they are alongside the seniors guiding them throughout.

What the players lack in experience they make up for with determination, hard work and passion. I’d like to rest my case by saying that for youngsters to play, think and move like a senior player they need to be trained and treated as a senior player. 

Harshith Raju (For Experienced Players)

It's really hard to fathom that Bengaluru FC are just seven years old, given the enormous impact they've had on this new era of Indian football. Not just in terms of the on-field impact, but also in the creation of one of the best fan cultures in India, in a city which always had a hunger for it.

One of the big reasons for BFC being propelled to such heights is their success. Without the big name signings that they managed to pull off in their early years, none of it would've been possible. I feel that should continue.

Infact, one of the most impressive feats of Bengaluru FC was winning the I-League in their debut season. It was built on the foundation of Ashley Westwood, guided by the star signings of John Johnson and Sunil Chhetri. They helped instill a winning mentality into the club right from the beginning.

Same was the case with them becoming the first Indian club to reach the final of an AFC competition. Udanta Singh, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Erik Paartalu and Dimas Delgado - everyone provided crucial experience and calmness to the squad, especially in the big games. This wasn't just limited to the players, bringing in coaches with substantial experience in Europe has been a pioneering approach for Indian clubs too. 

Now, Bengaluru FC reached such a stature that only trophies or reaching finals can make for a satisfactory season. The club have also established a good youth setup for developing players. However, it would be a big mistake to force the youngsters into the senior squad too early. Their inexperience has shown on one too many occasions and has also proved costly. Most recently in the playoffs loss to Maziya S&RC, one could argue the game should never have gone to penalties.

Another effect of having big name players is more people tuning up to matches, generating more interest towards the club. This will in turn also increase the club's reach and introduce new revenue streams. In order to sustain themselves in the modern football climate, such financial gains are quite important too.

There are occasional gems like Nishu Kumar, but they are few and far in between and relying on finding such players who can step up to the big stage without experience can't always work. These youngsters can slowly be eased into the squad through combined training sessions with the senior team. But, they shouldn't be given the sole burden of carrying a position all by themselves. 

If anything, the big name players only motivate the youngsters to strive harder to reach their level, hence leading to better players when they are finally ready. Also, exposing players to the pressures of being a first-team player at an early age may have negative effects, some of which can be longlasting and detrimental to their career. Bengaluru FC are one of the flagbearers for Indian football in Asia and the way to continue this is by achieving more success, for which signing big names is no doubt very crucial rather than promoting youngsters.