ISL: Anirudh Thapa to stay with Chennaiyin FC

Anirudh Thapa is expected to stay put at Chennaiyin FC, thereby putting an end to speculations surrounding his future, Sportskeeda has learnt.

It is understood that the 22-year-old's contract ran out on May 31st, but the club has been in regular touch with the player's representative over a long period of time to strike a deal without any hiccups.

A source close to Sportskeeda said: "Despite constant murmurings, Anirudh Thapa was always eager to extend his contract with Chennaiyin. A deal has been struck already, and he is anticipated to stay beyond the 2019/20 season."

The Dehradun-born midfielder was handpicked by the Marina Machans from the AIFF Elite Academy in 2016. Thapa made his professional debut for Chennaiyin in the final league stage game against FC Goa under the guidance of Marco Materazzi in the same year.

He was subsequently loaned out to Minerva Punjab, where he featured regularly and improved with game time. The Blues midfielder played a bit-part role during the 2017/18 title-winning campaign, but was an integral part of the squad in the next two seasons.

One of the driving reasons for the complete turnaround under Owen Coyle was Thapa's stellar partnership with Edwin Sydney in the midfield department. The Chennaiyin midfielder has appeared 69 times and has found the back of the net on six occasions, including the worldie against FC Goa in the semifinals of the 2019/20 season.

The two-time Indian Super League Champions are manager-less at present, but Thapa's contract extension will come as a sweeter for the Blues faithful.

Edwin Sydney, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Vishal Kaith, Dhanpal Ganesh, Deepak Tangri, Rahim Ali, Abhijit Sarkar, and Sinivasan Pandiyan are already contracted with the club. Anirudh Thapa is set to join the crew by committing his future to Chennaiyin FC.

As for the foreigners, Nerijus Valskis sounded unsure about his future with the Blues, while attacking midfielder Rafael Crivellaro is closing in on a move to East Bengal, as reported by Sportskeeda.

The futures of Eli Sabia, Jerry Lalrinzuala and Lucian Goian are hanging in the air, but the club is strong assessing the options to strengthen their backline before the beginning of the next season.