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Not deterred by a disappointing outing in the recently concluded Durand Cup 2023, Punjab FC are eager to dive head-first into their much-anticipated maiden Indian Super League (ISL) campaign. On grounds of being the I-League champions, the Shers became the first club to be promoted into the ISL on sporting merits.
The preparations have been underway for a while now, even when there wasn't absolute clarity about their participation in the first-tier league. All the eyes were unsurprisingly on how the newly-promoted club would perform in the summer transfer window.
While there were some apparent moves, there were also some absolutely stunning pieces of business from the Mohali-based outfit. Like always, some exciting activities also failed to materialize for the club. That's part and parcel of the football, but let's run through all of these deals.
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All completed signings for Punjab FC in the 2023 summer transfer window
The club started moving steadily ahead of the window with some pre-planned moves, among which was the extension of their three key foreigners from the last campaign - Luka Majcen, Juan Mera, and Kiran Limbu. Not many were surprised by the first two decisions, but filling an invaluable foreigner slot with a goalkeeper felt slightly off-putting.
But head coach Staikos Vergetis, in an interview with Sportskeeda, cited his reasons for the same.
"We believe the position of a goalkeeper is very important in our team. People who are thinking we have wasted one foreign slot to bring in a goalkeeper, I think they don’t consider this position as important," the Greek tactician said.
Following the extensions of the foreigners, there was a flurry of reinforcements that followed in the Indian contingent. Nikhil Prabhu, Leon Augustine, Ricky John Shabong, Prasanth K, and Amarjit Singh Kiyam, all of whom were previously warming benches for ISL clubs found a home in Punjab FC.
Anyone who has been following Indian football for a while would attest to the fact that some of these names were well capable of breaking into the first team of any club in the country if given the opportunity. Thus, Vergetis, with his love for nurturing talented youngsters, decided to roll the dice.
There were a few other incomings from I-League clubs, including the likes of Melroy Assisi and Kingslee Fernandes, before Punjab shifted their focus on fulfilling the remaining overseas spot.
In a stunning move, which Sportskeeda first reported, the club acquired the services of former NorthEast United FC talisman Wilmar Jordan Gil. The Colombian forward wrecked havoc in the ISL and the Super Cup last season, despite playing for a disoriented NEUFC side. It was a statement signing, and more followed soon.
In a few weeks, the club confirmed the signings of Greek defender Dimitrios Chatziisaias and French midfielder Madih Talal to complete the final few spots in their team.
As reported by Sportskeeda on Tuesday, even after the conclusion of the transfer window, PFC were still ironing out some final deals, signing Mashoor Shereef and Suresh Meitei.
A few tidbits on transfers that could have been for Punjab FC ahead of their debut ISL season
Punjab FC first had all the heads turning when a rumor emerged that the club was in contention to recruit departing FC Goa midfielder Edu Bedia. The Spaniard has been long touted as one of the finest players to play in the league, and securing services seemed a massive statement from the newly-promoted ISL club.
But during an interview with Sportskeeda in August, Vergetis himself denied any links with the Spaniard.
"We never made any offer for this boy [Edu Bedia]. I was surprised when I saw on certain sites that this player is coming to our team, I didn't know who it went in the press," the 47-year-old explained.
Hence, it became very evident that there wasn't any fire to the smoke and eventually Bedia joined Gokulam Kerala FC.
But there was another deal, a more substantial one, that broke down at the final stages. The club had an agreement with Serbian stopper Filip Ivanovic but for personal reasons, he opted out of the deal.
More close to home, Jayesh Rane was another player Punjab were interested in bringing aboard on loan, Sportskeeda can confirm. However, the Bengaluru FC midfielder opted for a temporary spell with defending ISL Shield winners Mumbai City FC. When the champions of the land come calling, it's difficult to deny, but Rane was definitely close to joining the Shers instead.
Finally, there was the curious case of Bidyashagar Singh. Punjab FC were very close to signing the center-forward and, more appropriately, had a verbal agreement with him. But it all came crumbling down when parent club Kerala Blasters decided against selling the 25-year-old after an injury to their star forward Dimitrios Diamantakos. Furthermore, the Blasters also ended up loaning out Justine Emmanuel to GKFC and hence Bidyashagar became crucial for their attacking depth.
Yet, overlooking all these near misses and fails, it's irrational to not acknowledge the smart work done by the bosses at Punjab FC in this transfer window. Albeit the current group of players needs some dedicated nurturing, there's no denying the abundance of quality in the squad. Now all that remains from them is to put the puzzle together in the remaining weeks and wait with bated breath for the first whistle of the ISL 2023-24 season.
