Indian Football Transfers: Odisha appoint Baxter, Bengaluru sign Silva

The Indian Super League teams have begun announcing new signings ahead of the upcoming season.

After a phase of numerous speculations, Indian football clubs have begun with the official confirmation of transfers. Several clubs have also confirmed promotion of players from youth teams to the senior squad.

Certain teams who were extremely active in the last couple of months have slowed down in June, whereas others have picked up their pace by getting several moves done swiftly. Here, we bring to you the recent updates on transfers in the Indian football circuit.

Odisha FC

Stuart Baxter

As first reported by Khel Now almost a month before the official confirmation, Odisha FC have roped in former South Africa manager Stuart Baxter as their new head coach.

The 66-year-old has won two Premier Soccer League titles and was also at the helm of England U-19 team from 2002-04. Moreover, he had previously managed Allmänna Idrottsklubben - a Swedish club with whom he had a fair amount of domestic success, in addition to having managed them in the UEFA Champions League.

Thoiba Singh Moirangthem

The franchise signed central midfielder Thoiba Singh on a three-year deal from Punjab FC. The 17-year-old had become the youngest player to score a goal in the AFC Cup when he put the ball into the back of the net against Manang Marshyangdi last year.

We had exclusively revealed the details of this move in April. According to our report, Odisha FC paid approximately ₹75 lakhs to secure Singh's signature for three years.

FC Goa

Sanson Pereira

FC Goa have signed 22-year-old left-back named Sanson Pereira from Salgaocar FC. Pereira, who penned a two-year contract with the Gaurs had delivered some promising performances in the Goa Pro League last season. The full-back is a possible replacement to Mandar Rao Dessai who has officially departed from FC Goa to seek greener pastures elsewhere.

Leander D’Cunha

FC Goa have promoted their development team captain Leander D’Cunha to the first-team squad. He has signed a three-year long contract and is the seventh player in the last three years to climb up the ladder and join the senior squad from the Gaurs’ reserve team/developmental setup. D’Cunha is a right-back, possesses leadership quality and is also an embodiment of FC Goa’s motive of providing a platform for more local talents to play and flourish in the league.

Hugo Boumous

Hugo Boumous has again presented an apprehensive view regarding returning to FC Goa for the next ISL campaign. In an interview with The Times of India, he stated, “As of today, I don’t know (about next season). I am not sure at all. I have to talk to the club and take a call. For now, I cannot say anything. Maybe things will be clear in a few days or another week.” He added, “I have to see what is the plan of the club. FC Goa should be ambitious for next season.”

Boumous’ future has been a topic of concern for the followers of the club after his recent statements. However, FC Goa’s Director of Football, Ravi Puskur, clarified his stance on the issue shortly after.

He remarked, “Hugo is a player who is young and ambitious. You cannot fault him for that. The reality is that Hugo has a two-year contract with us, and as far as the club is concerned, he is not for sale.” He even said that they expect the French-Moroccan to comply with the contract and is a key part of their plans for the next season.  

Bengaluru FC

Cleiton Silva

https://twitter.com/bengalurufc/status/1274341251962204160

Bengaluru FC have reinforced their forward line by signing Thai League’s all-time top scorer Cleiton Silva. The 33-year-old has been lured by the former ISL Champions from Suphanburi FC on a one-year deal with an option to extend it by another year depending on his performance.

The veteran forward had previously scored 141 goals from 193 appearances in the Thai League and would look to replicate his prolific goal-scoring touch in India too.

ATK-Mohun Bagan

Roy Krishna

The Bridge claims that Fijian forward Roy Krishna has agreed to sign an extension to his contract with ATK-Mohun Bagan. Krishna had a year-long contract with ATK when he arrived to Kolkata last season. He bagged 15 goals and notched six assists in 21 matches for the ISL champions and hence the newly-merged entity would be keen to lengthen his stay with them. However, an official confirmation about the development is awaited.

Jamshedpur FC

Laldinliana Renthlei

Goal.com has reported that Jamshedpur FC is set to sign Chennaiyin FC full-back Laldinliana Renthlei. The defender came through the ranks at Mizoram-based club Chhinga Veng FC.

Renthlei was later loaned out to Aizawl FC in 2017 and his impressive outings were spotted by Chennaiyin FC. He played a vital part for the runners-up last season. The 21-year-old made 22 league appearances and notched a solitary assist whilst being formidable on the defensive front over the course of the last couple of years.