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I-League winner Edwin Sydney Vanspaul has shifted leagues and joined Chennaiyin FC from Chennai City FC on a permanent transfer, the Indian Super League (ISL) club confirmed.
Edwin attracted a lot of offers from multiple ISL clubs but chose to sign with Chennaiyin, who could play in the AFC Cup knockouts next season.
The signing comes right after coach John Gregory extended his contract with Chennaiyin FC, two-time ISL champions.
Edwin is someone who can play as a full back, wing back or central midfielder. Starting off as a midfielder for Chennai City FC, Edwin was moved to a full back by Akbar Nawas at the start of the 2018-19 season.
The 26-year-old made 20 appearances for Chennai City in the I-League, scoring no goals but providing 6 assists. He has been part of the Chennai City setup since 2016, signing for the club after stints in local clubs Chennai FC and Indian Bank.
Chennaiyin had a horrendous ISL season last time around, finishing bottom of the table with just two wins and 13 defeats right after lifting the title in the 2017-18 season. The Marina Machans had nothing going for them this time around. With other teams improving and upgrading, Chennaiyin lost out and crashed out of the title race soon after the league started.
They made amends in the Super Cup, surging into the final but lost out on the trophy to FC Goa. The club is in prime position to qualify into the AFC Cup knockouts from Group E. They are locked on seven points with Abahani Dhaka but have a better goal difference of +2 compared to Dhaka's +1.
Teams are separated based on their head-to-head record but with both of them having one victory each, the goal difference comes into play next.
"Here's to announce the club has agreed terms with @ChennaiyinFC over the transfer of @edwinsydney. We wish him all the best for his future endeavors," Chennai City FC tweeted on Friday.
Edwin was unlucky to miss out on a call up to the national team but he would be determined to prove his worth by doing well for Chennaiyin FC.
