East Bengal senior official: It is our dream to play in ISL

Senior official Debabrata Sarkar spoke about the club's efforts towards entering the elite league.

Even during this nationwide lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, there have been several speculations on East Bengal following their rivals Mohun Bagan to the Indian Super League in the upcoming season.

Rumours about their potential new sponsors are also up in the air as club official Debabrata Sarkar clearly stated their 'dream' of playing in the ISL.

The All India Football Federation have already crowned Mohun Bagan champions of the I-League 2019-20 season as it came to a halt due to COVID-19. While some fixtures were remaining in the current season, the Mariners had an insurmountable lead over their opponents and therefore they were acknowledged as champions. The Green and Maroons have already merged with ISL outfit ATK and will be playing in India's elite league as a merged entity from next season. Therefore, people are also waiting for every move of their rivals East Bengal as the fans want them to follow suit.

"It is our dream to play in ISL. If Mohun Bagan can play in ISL then we can also do that. We are trying our best for that and are in talks with potential investors. But we have not yet reached a stage for announcement," Sarkar asserted to PTI.

It is no secret that the East Bengal officials are speaking with the West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee but Debabrata Sarkar decided to remain tight-lipped when asked to comment on it.

"At a time when people of the country are dying and starving (because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the nationwide situation), nobody is thinking about all this right now. Let us overcome this phase, then we will talk about it. But definitely, the club's target is ISL," Sarkar added.

Amid the situation currently, the Red and Golds have been on a roll with the signings. They have already signed players like Balwant Singh, Bikramjit Singh, Sehnaj Singh, Gurtej Singh along with Mohamed Irshad. East Bengal are also linked with several other Indian players which includes Indian Arrows duo of Ricky Shabong, Cavin Lobo and Harmanpreet Singh.