Gokulam Kerala FC sign Mali footballer Saliou Guindo on season-long deal

The 24-year-old forward netted 11 goals and registered two assists in the 2019-20 season for Bylis Ballsh in Albania.

I-League outfit Gokulam Kerala FC have completed the signing of Saliou Guindo, Khel Now has learned. The Mali player and the Malabarians have mutually agreed terms on a season-long deal until the end of the 2020-21 season.

"Saliou Guindo has signed for Gokulam Kerala on a season-long deal," a source close to the developments informed Khel Now. The 24-year-old forward started his professional career in 2011 in his home country, appearing for clubs like Jeanne d'Arc FC Bamako and AS Bamako, before shifting base to Cote d'Ivoire and playing for ASEC Mimosas three years later. The following season, he joined Tunisian side Esperance Tunis and enjoyed a stint with their U-21 team.

In the 2017-18 season, he featured for Al-Ahli Manama in the Bahrain top flight and Albanian club KF Skënderbeu then came calling in the season that followed. Between 2018 and 2020, the striker featured for them and later FK Bylis Ballsh in the Albanian first division, before he was signed by the Turkish tier two club Ankara Keciörengücü.

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Guindo's best performances so far came in the 2019-20 season, when he netted 11 goals and registered two assists from 27 matches for Bylis Ballsh in Albania. He was also a part of the Mali U-20 national team that finished third in the FIFA World Cup and fourth in the AFCON, both in 2015.

Gokulam Kerala, meanwhile, have already started their pre-season training, with the 2020-21 I-League campaign scheduled to begin on January 9. The Kozhikode-based club have already announced several new signings including Mohamed Awal, Dennis Antwi, Sharif Mukhammad, Ajin Tom, Deepak Devrani, Mahip Adhikari and so on. Other star players including Jestin George, Ubaid CK, Jithin MS, Rahul KP and Mohammed Salah have also been retained.

In August, the club appointed Vincenzo Alberto Annese as their new head coach and the 35-year-old Italian who is also a UEFA Pro Licence holder has already arrived in India and joined the team.