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What’s the story?
Indian national team goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and Parth Jindal, the heir of JSW group of companies, might just have given enough hints as to Indian star goalkeeper’s likely destination.
Speaking to Stabæk’s media team about his future after he was released by the Norwegian Tippeligaen club, Gurpreet said, “I think I will catch a flight tomorrow and head back since the team is supposed to play a competition next week. So I’m looking forward to prepare for that and do well over there.”
Elsewhere, Jindal, whose company owns Bengaluru FC, posted a series of tweets regarding the announcement of the signing of a big player.
Connecting the dots, Gurpreet has all but given away his new club, but the official announcement is yet to be made. With the other ISL clubs having already sorted their goalkeeping positions, it looks unlikely the player would make an about turn this late in the transfer window.
In case you didn’t know…
Gurpreet is the only Indian goalkeeper to have played abroad in a top division European league. He joined Stabæk in August 2014 on a three-year contract from East Bengal and featured for the Norwegian club in the Norwegian Football Cup and the Tippeligaen.
He also became the first Indian footballer to feature in the UEFA Europa League when he started against Welsh club Connah’s Quay Nomads FC.
The heart of the matter
Yesterday, Stabæk had announced in a statement that Gurpreet would return to India in a bid to get more playing time. While speaking to the media, the shot-stopper himself had indicated that he would return to India.
It is to be noted that Bengaluru FC are set to play North Korean side April 25 SC in the AFC Cup knockout rounds. Moreover, the transfer window in India ends on 31st August 2017 which gives ample time for Bengaluru FC to sign Gurpreet on a free transfer. All these suggest that Gurpreet is set to join Bengaluru FC in the coming days.
However, Bengaluru FC have already included three goalkeepers, viz., Lalthuammawia Ralte, Abhra Mondal, Calvin Abhishek, in their squad for the match against April 25 SC.
What’s next?
Gurpreet’s future is still not certain but Bengaluru are supposed to make a big announcement later today. It seems like they will add the six-foot-four goalkeeper into their ranks.
Author’s take
Bengaluru FC are set to take part in the Indian Super League (ISL) this year. At a time when every club is jumping for a good Indian goalkeeper as the number of foreigners in the lineup has been reduced, the addition of Gurpreet will be a massive boost.
