BFC CEO Mandar Tamhane delighted by arrivals of 'leaders'

Bengaluru FC announced the signing of Sandesh Jhingan on Sunday.

Bengaluru FC CEO Mandar Tamhane was all smiles about the club’s transfer activity and believes that the squad is very well-balanced heading into the new season.

In a surprise announcement for the ages, experienced Indian centre-back Sandesh Jhingan was unveiled as a new blue at the Bengaluru Football Stadium, much to the delight of the fans present at the open training session. Tamhane confirmed that the 29-year-old defender has signed on a one-year deal till the end of the season.

Ahead of Bengaluru FC's departure to Kolkata for the Durand Cup, the club's CEO Mandar Tamhane spoke to the media and shared his thoughts on the upcoming season.

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Objectives for the season

Bengaluru FC have made some statement signings, with Roy Krishna, Javi Hernandez and Sandesh Jhingan adding depth and experience in key positions. When asked about the objectives for this season, Tamhane replied: “Winning titles or trying to push for the title has been the objective from day one at the club.

"As for the statement signings, it felt necessary to bring in leaders after the last couple of seasons. These players come with a lot of experience and in some cases, healthy ISL experience. We have three national team leaders in Sandesh, Sunil and Gurpreet.”

The CEO is happy with the balance of the squad, with a good mix of youngsters on the periphery of the first team and seasoned ISL veterans who provide bucketloads of experience.

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Importance of academy players to get exposure of playing against quality youth academies overseas

Tamhane praised the Reliance Foundation’s Next Generation Cup and the key role the developmental league has played in nurturing young Indian footballing talent. Bengaluru FC clinched the inaugural RF Development League and made the trip to the UK for the Next Gen Cup. They and RFDL runners-up Kerala Blasters were the two sides who represented India in the Next Generation Cup. While neither side managed in a game, they showed enough fight and resilience to impress the opposition coaches.

"It is really good on the part of Reliance foundation to conceptualize this whole thing. It took time for us to have a developmental league. I feel it is very important to have such a platform. The last 10-15 years have showed us that there is a lack of competition among the younger age groups.

"The more matches these guys play, the transition gets easier. When you get this kind of exposure, it helps not only the players but the coaching staff also.

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"I think it is something that should happen more frequently. We should not just rely on the ISL, but clubs also should work to provide this kind of exposure across U-13, U-15 and U-18s. Going forward we will work with the ISL and AIFF to make a conscious effort to create such partnerships.”

Bengaluru FC are brimming with confidence and are looking forward to erasing the bad memories of the previous two seasons, where they failed to make the playoffs. The club’s transfer activity mirrors their ambitions of returning to the top. The players are hungry for success and more silverware.

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