Three ways Edmund Lalrindika can improve East Bengal's attack

East Bengal signed Edmund Lalrindika from Inter Kashi for 1.45 crores.

East Bengal have made a statement of intent by securing the signing of Edmund Lalrindika from Inter Kashi ahead of the 2025-26 season. After finishing ninth in the 2024-25 Indian Super League (ISL) and having issues in the goal-scoring department, they’ve spent a lot of time roping in an Indian international striker with lots of experience behind him.

Edmund’s signing will add some much-needed depth to East Bengal’s frontline and amplify their goal-scoring threat going forward. He will raise the amount of options that Oscar Bruzon has when he’ll be lining up East Bengal for the next season and add something new to their attacking frontline.

Lalrindika’s return to the Kolkata club (after a short loan in 2020) will help East Bengal’s frontline and add more variety to their playing style as well. Here we look at the ways that Edmund Lalrindika’s presence can help improve East Bengal’s attacking prowess.

3. Impactful nature as a substitute

Even though the 26-year-old forward is being signed for a prominent fee by East Bengal, he is likely to be used as a substitute for a few matches. He isn’t going to be a regular who starts every game and Bruzon will look to use his qualities in a substitute role in certain games too. Edmund has the qualities to torment exhausted defenders with his clever playing style in the opposition’s final third.

He is not only a viable link-up option who can use his physicality well to hold up the ball and move it forward to teammates, but Edmund can also capitalise on defensive errors really well. He can be a feisty figure for East Bengal’s frontline as a substitute and raise their threat from the bench.

2. Creative factor

Edmund Lalrindika had a pretty prolific 2024-25 season with Inter Kashi, especially in their I-League. However, a rather fascinating thing about the 26-year-old was that he had actually provided more assists (5) than he had scored goals (4) in the I-League campaign. Edmund has built his reputation for being an unpredictable, clinical goal scorer who is capable of efficiently putting chances away in the final third.

However, it’s clear that he has maximised his creative qualities in recent years. Lalrindika isn’t one to just demand the ball be played to him inside the box. He loves to drop into deeper positions to drag away defenders’ positions and play his teammates through on goal. In fact, the 26-year-old forward had even provided an assist for East Bengal in their 2-1 loss to Mohun Bagan in a Kolkata derby during his loan spell in the 2019-20 season.

Edmund has significantly improved his final passes in recent seasons, allowing him to set up big chances with relative ease. This creative boost will have a significant impact on East Bengal’s attacking players and allow them to play more free-flowing, fast-paced attacking football as well.

1. Versatile in the attack

Edmund Lalrindika has worked hard to make himself adaptable to different situations and different systems in the past few years. He is no longer just a one-trick pony who is reliant on having to play in one single position to thrive. Last season, Lalrindika played in a host of different positions at Inter Kashi.

That included playing as an attacking midfielder and even as a winger, as he showcased his qualities in playing in different positions to torment defenders. That is why Edmund can be an important addition to the East Bengal side and provide a major improvement to their frontline. It’s because he can drop into different areas and still manage to trouble defenders as well as get things done.

Edmund is an ideal fit for the two-striker formation that Oscar Bruzon had started playing towards the second half of the 2024-25 season as well. He can smartly link up with a fellow striker, drop back to create chances or even move forward to put them away to help East Bengal score many more goals going forward.

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