Mohun Bagan bring in Penn Orji as replacement for Sony Norde

The former Kerala Blasters' midfielder will look to make an instant impact to continue The Mariners' late charge for the title.

Nigerian midfielder Penn Orji has been brought in by Mohun Bagan as the replacement for the departed Sony Norde, who left the club a few days ago to recover from an injury in Argentina. Orji brings in a lot of experience with him having already played for the likes of JCT, East Bengal and Shillong Lajong in the I-League.

He also played for Kerala Blasters in the inaugural season of the Indian Super League, scoring two goals in 13 matches for them. The 33-year-old midfielder had been playing in the 4th Division of Poland at Stal Krasnik for the past two years but could be a decisive player for the Mariners who are looking to attempt a late charge for the I-League title.

Orji was actually in the prime of his career for Bagan's rivals East Bengal in the three years he played for them, where he made 39 appearances for the club. He was named in the Football Players' Association of India's (FPAI) Team of the Year in 2011 for his terrific outing for the Red and Gold that season.

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Orji recently spent two seasons at Shillong Lajong in the I-League where he was a regular starter for them and helped them solidify themselves as a decent mid-table club in the league. The midfielder will add some steel to Mohun Bagan's midfield and will also look to fill the void left by Norde in the attacking aspect of their game.

The Nigerian is expected to be a part of Bagan's squad in their game against Shillong Lajong next month and could even make his debut if he's match-fit. Head coach Sankarlal Chakrabarty will hope he has retained the shades of his time at East Bengal, as Orji has some big boots to fill now that he's the official replacement for the Mariners' departed hero Norde.