ISL 2020-21 January Transfers: Adil Khan joins Goa, Marcelinho to ATKMB

Some rather high-profile transfers took place in the past month.

The Indian Super League (ISL) 2020-21 season is getting intense with every passing day, as teams are fighting it out against each other for a place in the playoffs. The recently concluded winter transfer window allowed clubs to reflect on their performances and analyze the areas they need to reinforce accordingly.

Although a mid-season signing can be a bit awkward with all the adapting that is to be done in the new surroundings, under a new head coach and also in new systems, some of them have done really well. More or less, all the ISL outfits have been active in the January transfer window of the 2020-21 season and now it remains to be seen which of them have struck gold.

ATK Mohun Bagan

The biggest signing that the Mariners pulled off was bringing in Marcelinho from Odisha FC, with Bradden Inman going the other way.

ATK Mohun Bagan bolstered their midfield with another experienced midfielder in Lenny Rodrigues. The Goan has played for the club earlier and has joined from FC Goa. To get Lenny, Antonio Habas had to letgo of players like Glan Martins and Boris Singh, as they joined FC Goa and Jamshedpur FC respectively. Full-back Ankit Mukherjee also left the club after mutually terminating his contract and joining SC East Bengal.

Bengaluru FC

The Blues have not been too active in the January transfer window. They have mostly allowed players to leave in search of more game-time. Young midfielder Ajay Chhetri joined SC East Bengal on loan till the end of the season, while Deshorn Brown also joined NorthEast United.

Spanish midfielder Xisco Hernandez has returned to the club.

Chennaiyin FC

Another team which has not been in the mix to bring in many reinforcements in the January transfer window. The only unfortunate incident that happened with the Marina Machans was Rafael Crivellaro's injury, which meant that he was out for the remaining fixtures of the league this season.

Therefore, they signed former FC Goa and ATK midfielder Manuel Lanzarote as his replacement.

FC Goa

https://twitter.com/FCGoaOfficial/status/1356564917827096576

Probably the most active outfit this season, the Gaurs left no stone unturned to bring in better players. In order to bring in reinforcements, they had to leave some of their players to balance the odds. Hence, Seiminlen Doungel departed and joined Jamshedpur FC on loan, as Lenny Rodrigues also made a deadline day move to ATK Mohun Bagan.

In terms of arrivals, the Gaurs welcomed goalkeeper Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem, who joined from the Mariners along with Glan Martins. They also roped in India international Amarjit Singh Kiyam from Jamshedpur FC. The Gaurs also bolstered their defence with the signing of Adil Khan from Hyderabad FC on loan for the rest of the season.

Hyderabad FC

Manolo Marquez's side are doing really well this season, especially after their disastrous performance last campaign. Therefore, they have not been that active in the January transfer window. They allowed Adil Khan to join FC Goa on loan as the India International was surplus to requirement for the Spanish tactician. Veteran custodian Subrata Paul also left the club to join SC East Bengal, as Sankar Roy came in a swap deal till the end of the season.

The only new signing that Marquez made was signing Dutchman Roland Alberg. The 30-year-old versatile midfielder has joined the ISL outfit on loan from Roda JC, an outfit in the Eerste Divisie.

Jamshedpur FC

https://twitter.com/JamshedpurFC/status/1352911483622084610

The Men of Steel have shown some ambitions right from the start of the season when they decided to appoint Owen Coyle as their head coach.

They allowed summer signing Jackichand Singh to leave the club and join Mumbai City FC, as Farukh Choudhary returned to the Furnace. Coyle also brought in Seiminlen Doungel on loan from FC Goa to add more flair to the attack. Lastly, on deadline day, the Men of Steel allowed Amarjit Singh to depart and join FC Goa as in return they roped in former India U-17 star Boris Singh.

Kerala Blasters

The Yellow Army are satisfied with their current roster and despite not being in a great position in the league, head coach Kibu Vicuna has shown trust in his current players. The only signing he made was roping in former Perth glory defensive midfielder Juande as a replacement for the injured Sergio Cidoncha.

Mumbai City FC

https://twitter.com/MumbaiCityFC/status/1356233447027601412

The league leaders have been in rampant form this season as they have already broken several records. The Islanders have not been too involved in the transfer market, but they have made some tweaks to their team.

Lobera did not miss the opportunity to reunite with his former FC Goa player Jackichand Singh. Apart from that Sourav Das and Sarthak Golui have departed the club and joined SC East Bengal.

NorthEast United

It has been a bumpy road for NorthEast United as they were highly inconsistent during the time of Gerard Nus. But, in came Khalid Jamil and soon he changed the dynamics of the squad. The Highlanders had one too many full-backs, so they allowed Rakesh Pradhan to join Odisha FC.

In terms of arrivals, the Highlanders roped in Deshorn Brown as a replacement for Kwesi Appiah, who suffered a long-term injury. Brown, who recently terminated his contract with Bengaluru FC, has been scoring goals for fun for the Highlanders.

Odisha FC

It has been a tough season for Odisha FC and they have not been at their best. However, still they added some reinforcements during the January transfer window. They signed full-back Rakesh Pradhan from NorthEast United on loan. Lastly, the Juggernauts were also involved in a swap deal which saw Marcelinho join ATKMB and Bradden Inman coming in.

SC East Bengal

The first and the most impactful signing that the Red and Gold made was roping in Nigerian forward Bright Enobakhare. The young forward has instilled new life into the team and has given them the will to take the fight to the oppositions. Apart from that, Robbie Fowler brought in full-back Ankit Mukherjee, who terminated his contract with ATK Mohun Bagan to join the other Kolkata outfit.

The English tactician also roped in Ajay Chhetri on loan from Bengaluru FC to bolster the midfield. Lastly, the local duo of Sourav Das and Sarthak Golui has also joined the club from Mumbai City FC, adding more steel to the midfield and defence respectively.