Garhwal FC sign former Gokulam Kerala midfielder Muhammed Shafeer

The 24-year-old was part of the Malabarians' reserves team that featured in the Kerala Premier League in the past couple of seasons.

Second Division League outfit Garhwal FC have roped in midfielder Muhammed Shafeer, Khel Now can confirm. The former Gokulam Kerala FC player will join his new club ahead of the I-League Qualifiers scheduled to be held in October.

"Muhammed Shafeer has signed for Garhwal FC," a source close to the developments informed Khel Now. Although, the 24-year-old has agreed terms on a three-month contract with the Delhi-based club, we understood that the deal also has an option to extend his contract for a longer term, based on his performances.

Shafeer began his football career at MSP School Malappuram and was part of their team that created history by reaching the Subroto Cup final in 2012. They eventually lost 5-2 to European giants Dynamo Kyiv in the all-important game. After completing his school education, the youngster joined the DSK Shivajians-Liverpool FC international academy in Pune to hone his skills further. Eventually, he entered the first team at Calicut University, who went on to become the national champions in 2018.

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Later in the same year, the midfielder joined Gokulam Kerala and was a part of their reserves team that played in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 Kerala Premier League. The Malabarians reached the finals both times, but lost to Indian Navy and Kerala Blasters Reserves respectively on each of those occasions. He also played in all of Gokulam's matches in the 2019 Bodousa Cup, where they lifted the trophy after beating Punjab FC (formerly Minerva Punjab) in the final.

The 2019 Durand Cup champions originally signed Shafeer on a three-year deal that was supposed to end in 2021, but earlier this month, both the player and the club arrived at a decision to terminate the contract by mutual consent.

The fleet-footed central midfielder will hence join Garhwal FC, as the Delhi outfit prepare to create an impact in the upcoming qualification tournament for the I-League 2020-21.