Why Naorem Mahesh Singh can prove himself as a special weapon for Antonio Lopez Habas at East Bengal

Mahesh Singh Naorem will aim to return to his best version in the 2026-27 season

Antonio Lopez Habas is gearing up for the newest challenge in Indian football as the head coach of East Bengal heading into the 2026-27 season. The Spaniard, who has a wealth of experience in managing sides in the Indian Super League (ISL) and has won the championship multiple times as a manager, will now face a stern task of ensuring that the Torchbearers can strongly defend their ISL title after last season’s heroics.

Habas is building a pretty formidable squad with East Bengal replacing their departed foreign players with some quality talents. However, the Spanish gaffer will also be inclined to get the best out of the talented Indian players at his disposal at East Bengal, which definitely includes the presence of experienced India international, Naorem Mahesh Singh.

The 27-year-old had a disappointing personal campaign in the 2025-26 ISL, only making four appearances for East Bengal before a nasty injury ended his season midway through the title-winning ISL season.

However, Mahesh’s impressive contribution towards East Bengal in recent years shouldn’t be forgotten and fans are well aware about the kind of technically gifted, inspiring player that he can be under the right coach.

Habas, who has always valued experienced and versatile players in his squads in Indian football, will look to reignite Mahesh Singh to make him fire on all cylinders in the 2026-27 season.

Here, we look at why Mahesh Singh has the tools to act as a special weapon for the Spaniard’s system at East Bengal going forward.

Experience factor

At the age of 27, Naorem Mahesh Singh is probably now entering the peak years of his career. As long as he can navigate his way to stay clear of injury troubles, he now has the correct amount of experience and IQ levels to outwit opposition players in the Indian Super League and other key matches for East Bengal.

Mahesh has been a part of the East Bengal squad for almost four years now, making 70 appearances for the Kolkata giants as well. He will look to use his experience levels and leadership skills to be a driving figure for the Torchbearers in Habas’ system and also trouble teams with his clever playing style.

The 27-year-old now needs to show his age by improving his decision-making in the final third to be able to help East Bengal become more efficient in the attack.

He also needs to keep a composed nature under pressure scenarios, use his technical prowess to get past opponents and move his teammates forward cleverly to elevate the overall threat of East Bengal’s attacking structure and help them score more goals under Habas’ tenure.

Also Read: How can Effiong Nsungusi’s move help East Bengal FC in 2026-27 season?

Element of surprise

The reason why Naorem Mahesh Singh has remained a key part of the East Bengal squad over the last few years and made 23 appearances for India is because of his ability to bring something very different to the table for his side. The 27-year-old is a really flexible player, whose ability to read his side’s attacking moves and dupe defenders often lands him in promising position.

Indeed, Naorem has a noteworthy unpredictability factor about his playing style – mostly because he never stays static in one position and is always looking to move into the danger zones to either drag defenders out of their comfort zone or help set up something prolific for his side.

The 27-year-old’s expert off-the-ball movement and ability to slip past the view of defender helps him constantly land up in empty areas in the final third to get exciting stuff done.

As long as Mahesh is able to maintain that element of surprise in his game, he can be a real asset for Habas’ style. He has the pace and driving ability to be a major threat in counter-attacks, having the speed to get the ball up the field quickly and deliver in either setting up or scoring counter-attack goals.

He can also unlock a rigid defensive line with his surprising final third passes and impressive crossing ability, while the variety of his set-piece delivery only raises the unpredictability about this game and that should allow him to be a major threat for Habas at East Bengal.

Versatility factor

Another key reason why Naorem Mahesh Singh might prove to be a key asset for Habas’ system is because of his adaptability to different’ managers structure and ability to play in a variety of different positions. While the 27-year-old is naturally more of a left-winger, he can also play as a no.10 or even in a deeper midfield position if required.

Mahesh’s ability to move into pockets of space with his clever off-the-ball movement enables him to stray past his marker easily, making him an unpredictable player irrespective of whatever position he is playing in.

The 27-year-old’s versatility is likely to be used extensively by Habas, who might slot him into different positions after considering the needs of his East Bengal side.

But with Mahesh Singh having the quality of scoring or setting up chances from many different positions, he can be a refreshing threat in the East Bengal attack and help them play some efficient attacking football under the Spanish gaffer.

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