Mohun Bagan rope in Ashutosh Mehta and Dhanachandra Singh

The Mariners also appointed Ranjan Chowdhury as the assistant coach to Kibu Vicuna for the upcoming season.

Mohun Bagan have announced the signing of defensive duo Ashutosh Mehta and Dhanachandra Singh on Friday evening. The signings come as no surprise to the Mariners' fans as the Green and Maroons looked shaky at the back over the course of last season.

Dhanachandra Singh would join Mohun Bagan for the third time in his career after having two seasons in two different spells with the Kolkata giants. The 32-year-old rejoins the club from Jamshedpur FC, with whom he made nine appearances in the ISL last campaign.

The first stint of the left-back with the Mariners was in the 2014-15 season after which he signed a permanent contract with the then ISL champions Chennaiyin FC.

Playing for Jamshedpur, the 32-year-old failed to impress Cesar Ferrando as he was mostly used as a squad player for the Men of Steel. He made 27 tackles, 18 interceptions, 53 clearances and 18 blocks in his nine appearances for the club.

Singh is a versatile player who can play in both centre-back positions as well as at left-back and his inclusion will help Kibu Vicuna to stabilize the Mariners' backline, something that forced them lose precious points last season.

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Apart from Dhanchandra Singh, Mohun Bagan have also roped in FC Pune City full-back Ashutosh Mehta. In Mehta, the Mariners have signed yet another seasoned defender with prior experience of winning the league with Aizawl FC in the 2016-17 season.  Ashutosh was a pivotal figure in the defence of the northeastern club and earned high praise for his performances in the winning run.

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However, last season Mehta lost his usual rhythm as he made only seven appearances for Pune City under three different coaches, a rough patch from which he would look to recover with the Mariners.

Apart from these two, another name to join the ranks of the Mariners is that of Ranjan Chowdhury. Chowdhury, once a player and an assistant coach with East Bengal, joins the backroom staff at the club. He would be assisting Vicuna, the new head coach of the Mariners.