Indian Football Transfers: Hartley signs deal, Hyderabad begin business

It was quite a busy week as several clubs announced new signings with the upcoming season knocking on the door.

Almost all Indian football clubs are very busy preparing for what promises to be an action-packed 2020-21 season, with several of them announcing transfers and contract extensions. More deals are set to follow in the days to come.

Jamshedpur FC had a very productive week, as they added four new players to their squad. Kerala Blasters and FC Goa also did some business. Without further ado, let us take a detailed look at this week's transfer activity in Indian football:

Chennaiyin FC

Karanjit Singh

Chennaiyin FC have extended the contract of goalkeeper Karanjit Singh and he will now remain at the club until the end of the 2020-21 season. The 34-year-old is set for a sixth consecutive campaign for the Marina Arena side, having won the Indian Super League twice with the club in 2015 and 2017-18.

FC Goa

Hadi Mohammadi

A source close to the developments has informed Khel Now that FC Goa are set to sign Iranian defender Hadi Mohammadi on a one-year deal, with the option to extend by a further year.

29-year old Hadi Mohammadi has had a prolonged career in the Persian Gulf Pro League and had a three-year stint at Damash Gilan. When the outfit were relegated in 2014, the player moved to Zob Ahan and has been with them ever since, making more than 72 appearances overall. Moreover, Mohammadi has also been capped for the Iran U-22 national team between 2011 and 2014.

Alberto Noguera

https://twitter.com/FCGoaOfficial/status/1301513648368766977?s=20

FC Goa have announced the signing of midfielder Alberto Noguera. The Spaniard has put pen to paper on a two-year deal that will see him don the orange jersey till the summer of 2022.

The fleet-footed central midfielder represents the fourth new foreign signing for the Gaurs this transfer window, following hot on the heels of compatriots Igor Angulo, Jorge Ortiz and Ivan Gonzalez.

Hyderabad FC

Manolo Marquez

Hyderabad FC have appointed highly-experienced Spaniard Manuel 'Manolo' Marquez as the new head coach, the club announced on Monday. The 51-year-old who previously worked in the Spanish LaLiga and the Croatian top flight has penned a one-year deal at the club.

Having worked closely with a number of top LaLiga coaches, like current CD Leganes manager Javier Aguirre and former Barcelona boss Quique Setien, Marquez strongly believes in and is eager to continue the philosophy that HFC have been working on since the start of 2020.

Joel Chianese

Hyderabad FC have completed the signing of attacker Joel Chianese ahead of the upcoming season of the Indian Super League, the club announced on Thursday. The 30-year-old Australian signs from A-League side Perth Glory after helping them to the semifinals in the recently concluded play-offs of the 2019-20 season. Khel Now had exclusively confirmed about the move earlier this year.

Chinglensana Singh

Hyderabad also roped in 23-year-old defender Konsham Chinglensana Singh ahead of the upcoming ISL season. Known in the footballing circuit as ‘Sana,' the Manipuri defender joins after a three-year spell with Goa and has penned a two-year deal. He is the club's third new Indian signing this season after Subrata Paul and Halicharan Narzary.

Jamshedpur FC

Alex Monteiro de Lima

https://twitter.com/JamshedpurFC/status/1300365385288515585?s=20

Jamshedpur FC roped in Alexandre Monteiro de Lima, who is a midfielder by trade. The 31-year-old comes in on the back of a star-studded career across the world and became the club’s fourth foreign signing this season, after Aitor Monroy, David Grande and Nerijus Valskis.

Khel Now had previously reported that the player was in advanced talks with the club. A strong and well-built playmaker, he is known for his ability to hold the ball, create chances as well as get into scoring positions in the attacking third.

Laldinliana Renthlei

Laldinliana Renthlei, fondly known as Dinliana, also signed for Jamshedpur, as the club continue to build a strong squad for the upcoming ISL season. The 22-year-old Mizo right-back is quick and strong and was a revelation under Owen Coyle at Chennaiyin FC last season.

He was one of the top right-backs in the 2019-20 season, when his team finished runners-up after losing to ATK in the final. Dinliana can also slot in as a left-back.

Bhupender Singh

The MMen of Steel are set to bring in Sudeva FC youngster Bhupender Singh on a two-year deal, with the option to extend by another two years, a source has informed Khel Now.

Bhupender has plied his trade with Spanish third division side CD Olimpic de Xativa and trained with their first-team. He also featured for their U-19 team in a league match against Villarreal U-19s in the Liga Nacional (2nd Division) in Spain.

Peter Hartley

Earlier today, the club made their third signing of the week by confirming the arrival of Motherwell's former captain, Peter Hartley. Khel Now had previously confirmed the move on 20th August.

The robust defender comes in on the back of a highly successful season in the Scottish Premiership. He captained the team to third place in the league, only behind giants – Celtic and Rangers, thus qualifying for the UEFA Europa League. Hartley has player 418 matches in his stellar career since his senior team debut in 2007, keeping 122 clean-sheets and scoring 37 goals.

Kerala Blasters

Facundo Pereyra

https://twitter.com/KeralaBlasters/status/1301120363296821250?s=20

On September 2, Kerala Blasters announced Facundo Abel Pereyra as the first foreign signing for the upcoming season of the ISL. Khel Now had previously confirmed the move on 31st August.

The midfielder joins KBFC to boost their attacking options. Known for his positioning and consistency in the box, the Argentinian will be an integral part of Kibu Vicuna's squad.

Mumbai City FC

Mohamed Larbi

Tunisia international midfielder Mohamed Larbi has left Mumbai City FC and joined SO Cholet, a club that plays in the Championnat National – the third tier of French football.

The 32-year-old attacking midfielder joined the Islanders at the start of the 2019-20 season and played in all of their 18 matches in the league stage. He also netted two goals and registered four assists, maintaining a passing accuracy of over 65%.

Odisha FC

Diego Mauricio

Odisha FC announced the signing of striker Diego Mauricio. The Brazilian has signed a one-year contract with the Bhubaneswar-based side. The 29-year-old striker has the experience of playing in many top football leagues around the world.

He made his senior club debut for Brazil’s Flamengo in 2010, where he linked up with the great Ronaldinho. The Rio de Janeiro-born forward was part of Brazil’s talented U-20 squad and played in a team that boasted of superstars like Philippe Coutinho, Casemiro, Oscar, Felipe Anderson, Roberto Firmino and the mercurial Neymar.

Marcelinho

https://twitter.com/OdishaFC/status/1301051525914009600?s=20

A few days after announcing the arrival of Mauricio, Odisha secured the services of experienced Brazilian Marcelo Leite Pereira aka Marcelinho. The 33-year-old forward has signed a one-year deal with the club.

With the ability to play as a striker, on the wings or as an attacking midfielder, Marcelinho has huge experience of playing in various leagues around the world, including the ISL. He was the Golden Boot winner in the 2016 season with Delhi Dynamos by scoring 10 goals in 15 appearances and also guided the team to the playoffs. Marcelinho then played for erstwhile FC Pune City and Hyderabad FC for three campaigns. He has a cumulative 31 goals and 18 assists in 63 ISL matches so far.

Aizawl FC

Zothanmawia

Former I-League champions Aizawl FC announced that they have retained goalkeeper Zothanmawia for the upcoming 2020-21 season. The 22-year-old began his football career at the Chandigarh Football Academy and went on to become an India U-16 probable. He joined Aizawl in 2014 and spent four seasons with them, before playing for Chhinga Veng FC in the 2019 Mizoram Premier League.

Mawia played so well for Chhinga Veng that Aizawl re-signed him on a short-term deal in January 2020 for the remainder of the 2019-20 I-League. He has since gone on to impress and thereby land a new contract.

Gokulam Kerala

Zodingliana Tochhawng

https://twitter.com/GokulamKeralaFC/status/1301858518627020803?s=20

Gokulam Kerala have signed Mizoram left-back Zodingliana Tochhawng for the upcoming I-League season. The 25-year-old player comes with ample experience in both the I-League and ISL. Zodingliana, who is also known as Adlinga, can be utilized in other positions also, as he has been impressive as a midfielder and a winger for various clubs. Last season he played a major role for NEROCA FC in the I-League, starting 11 matches.

Mohammedan SC

Mohammedan SC continue to bring in domestic stars, as they have signed former Mumbai City and NEROCA attacker Singam Subhash Singh. The Black Panthers are all set to participate in the 2nd Division League tournament and look serious about grabbing the I-League spot for 2020-21.