SC East Bengal set to sign Arindam Bhattacharya from ATK Mohun Bagan

The 31-year-old is among the shot-stoppers with the most clean-sheets in ISL history.

SC East Bengal are actively building a squad for the 2021-22 edition of the Indian Super League (ISL). Meanwhile, Khel Now can confirm that they are close to signing Arindam Bhattacharya from ATK Mohun Bagan.

"Arindam Bhattacharya is most likely to join SC East Bengal in the coming days. It is almost a done deal," sources close to the developments informed Khel Now. The goalkeeper has a year remaining on his contract with ATK Mohun Bagan. At the time of writing, we are waiting for further details to emerge regarding the structure of the final deal.

Earlier this summer, the player himself had announced via social media that he is keen to continue at ATKMB at least till the end of his current contract. However, the emergence of SCEB has presented a solid opportunity to him, rather than possibly playing second fiddle to Amrinder Singh at the Mariners.

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About the player

Arindam Bhattacharya kick-started his football career at the Tata Football Academy. He later spent a couple of years at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Academy as well.

He signed his first professional contract with Goan outfit Churchill Brothers and won the I-League with them in 2008-09. Stints at Mohun Bagan, the now-defunct FC Pune City and Bharat FC, Sporting Clube de Goa, Bengaluru FC and Mumbai City followed, before he joined ATK ahead of the 2018-19 season.

At the Kolkata club, the 31-year-old quickly established himself as their first-choice goalkeeper. He won his first and only ISL title to-date with them in the 2019-20 season. When ATK merged with Mohun Bagan last year, the shot-stopper joined the newly-formed ATK Mohun Bagan and represented them in ISL 2020-21.

He played a pivotal role in their run to the final, where Mumbai City beat them to clinch the crown. However, his consistent performances meant Arindam Bhattacharya secured the Golden Glove award for the season.

Overall, Bhattacharya has featured in 79 ISL games, making 212 saves with a save percentage of 72.85%. He has kept 29 clean-sheets - which is the joint-most among all goalkeepers, along with Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and Amrinder - and has conceded an average of just one goal per game.

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Additionally, he also played for India at the U-19, U-23 and senior levels. His heroics with the U-23 Indian team in the SAFF Championship 2009 helped the Blue Colts lift the title.

SC East Bengal's pre-season preparations

The Red & Gold Brigade are preparing to acquire the services of more players in the days to come. With the transfer window ending on August 31, there is very little time left for the club. As a result, they will try to wrap up their signings as quickly as possible.

Hira Mondal, Ritwik Das and Thoi Singh are among the players with whom SCEB have held talks so far. Additionally, Khel Now understands that clubs like Kerala Blasters, FC Goa and Odisha FC have also offered some of their players on loan to the Kolkata giants.

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