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What's the story?
Mumbai City FC have announced the signing of defender Lucian Goian for the upcoming Indian Super League season.
Goain had a fine first season in Indian football with the Blue Army in 2016 when his leadership and experience at the back led the club to the semi-finals where they lost to eventual champions ATK.
The player said upon putting pen to paper: "It’s great to be back in Mumbai. I have a great working relationship with Coach Alex, and my experience in the ISL was top notch. Everyone at the club- owners, management and fans treated me extraordinarily well. It’s a longer season this time so I'm sure my family would also love to be back, especially Luca, my son, who had a great time last year. Looking forward to another great season and hopefully this time to bring back the trophy for the fans."
The context
With the signing of domestic players now completed, ISL clubs are now turning their focus on foreign recruits. All the ten ISL clubs have roped in a minimum of 15 Indian players with the remaining places in the 25-man squads reserved for foreign acquisitions.
The heart of the matter
Goian was one of the most impressive performers in the ISL last season. The 34-year-old central defender was a vital cog in the Mumbai side that stormed to a first place finish the the league phase of ISL-3.
With the most number of tackles and interceptions, Goian dominated the defensive numbers in the ISL last season, thereby earning a place in the league's team of the season.
What's next?
Goian becomes Mumbai City's first foreign acquisition for the 2017/18 ISL season. The Blue Army have signed Balwant Singh, Sanju Pradhan and Mehrajuddin Wadoo as their big buys of the domestic draft. Before the draft, they had retained Amrinder Singh and Sehnaj Singh. That, therefore, raised questions about Mumbai City and their head coach Alexandre Guimaraes's transfer strategy since they roped in another goalkeeper, Arindam Bhattacharya, for Rs 64 lakhs despite the presence of Amrinder.
With Goian on board, Mumbai City can again expect to field a strong defence. Last term, they were the best defensive team in the ISL and Goian will hope to continue his good record in India.
Author's take
Goian represents a significant coup for last season's semi-finalists. The tall Romanian is a reassuring figure, particularly so because of how ISL-3 panned out for him.
Therefore, it can be said that after the draft's damp squib, Mumbai City fans have something to cheer about following Goian's arrival.
