Exclusive: Gurpreet Sandhu is an inspiration for me- Arshdeep Singh

The young goalkeeper also talked regarding Josep Gombau and his teammates.

One of the summer signings at Odisha FC, Arshdeep Singh has been subject to immense competition with Francisco Dorronsoro in Josep Gombau's system. The former Minerva Punjab custodian has made seven appearance for his side, with a 60.6% saving percentage and 20 saves till now. In a recent conversation with Khel Now, the young goalkeeper spoke about his playing days with Minerva Punjab (currently Punjab FC), expressed his thoughts on Josep Gombau and many other topics as well. [KH_ADWORDS type="3" align="center"][/KH_ADWORDS]

Arshdeep Singh began the conversation as he recollected his time playing for former I-League champions Minerva Punjab, “We got promoted to the I-League and it was a huge factor in my development. They work quite hard on the academies. Ranjit (Bajaj) paji himself wants the academies to grow. He’s there for every match and guides us.”

“Although, I only played three matches before my injury, still it was one of the best feelings when we were crowned champions,” he spoke on the I-League winning season with the Warriors.

In the summer of 2019, Arshdeep Singh joined then Delhi Dynamos (Odisha FC) from Minerva Punjab - a decision which he claims has been the right one. “It was very obvious because every player from the I-League focuses to come to the ISL, because right now it's better.”

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“It was not a tough decision for me, I was happy to sign for Odisha FC,” the custodian added.

Odisha FC were forced to play most of their games earlier this season away from home or at a makeshift venue in Pune, before being able to play at Kalinga Stadium. The new entrants had a slow start to the campaign. However, they have emerged as one of the darkhorses to make it to the playoffs.

Speaking regarding his experience of playing away from home, Arshdeep Singh sounded ecstatic about being able to play in Bhubaneswar. “We played the first ten games as away games, even in Pune we did not have that much support, it was like an away game only.”

Singh had kind words for tactician Josep Gombau

“We have now settled at the Kalinga Stadium. Obviously, now it makes a difference, as a team with the playing style we have, we have played well and we are now getting results,” the 22-year-old expressed.

The Odisha FC keeper was quizzed about his thoughts on Odisha FC head coach Josep Gombau, to which he responded, “He is a great coach. Tactically, he is one of the best coaches in the ISL. His playing style, as everyone can see, is focused on playing with the ball on the ground and that style is one of the best.”

“As a human, he is a very nice person and he supports the young players and gives us confidence to play well,” Arshdeep Singh went on to heap more praise on the Spaniard.

[KH_ADWORDS type="2" align="center"][/KH_ADWORDS] Josep Gombau has extensively rotated the goalkeeper's spot between Arshdeep Singh and Francisco Dorronsoro in the 2019-20 campaign, with both players getting the nod seven times each. However, while Arshdeep has made 20 saves in the league this season, his Spanish teammate has been able to gather 14.

Speaking about who is the first-choice goalkeeper between the two, Arshdeep Singh answered, “It depends on the game, how we want to put up the team. So, I am not sure about the first-choice keeper, but I am very happy to get the training."

Arshdeep Singh hailed Gurpreet Singh Sandhu as an inspiration to him

“I am learning a lot under Pao (the goalkeeping coach) and Dorronsoro, they both are very experienced coach and player. So, right now I am focusing more on my self-development rather than competing (for the starting place).”

He also talked about the chances of finishing in the top-four of the league - which will allow his side to make it to the playoffs in their first season of existence. “We want to get to the playoffs, that was the target from the beginning. It’s still a long way to go, we are not over-confident. We will go game-by-game and then and let’s hope for the best,” Arshdeep Singh revealed.

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The Odisha FC custodian hailed Indian international and Bengaluru FC goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu as an inspirational figure - who hails from the same state as him. "I guess he is a big inspiration for me, he is my idol and I admire him a lot. When we were in Chandigarh, he used to train us. He is a great person and a great goalkeeper as well,” Arshdeep Singh revealed.

Upon being asked to describe an area where he is trying to improve and a strong quality about himself, Arshdeep replied, “I need to play more matches to get in touch with my rhythm and the strong point would be that I can play with my feet.

“The coach demands that and it's what the style of play of our team demands, so I think I have that advantage,” he concluded.