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What's the story?
Indian Super League (ISL) side Bengaluru FC are all set to rope in Minerva Punjab's Bhutanese talisman Chencho Gyeltshen for the upcoming season, Sportskeeda has learnt.
In case you didn't know...
Chencho Gyeltshen scored seven goals in 17 appearances for Minerva Punjab in the previous season of the I-League. He earlier plied his trade for Thimpu City, Chittagong Abahani and Satun United. Gyeltshen began his career with Yeedzin FC in the Bhutanese A-Division, now christened as the Thimpu Premier League in 2012. He also spent short stints at Thai Clubs like Nonthaburi FC, Surin City and Buriram United.
The heart of the matter
Chencho Gyeltshen had been in long prolonged negotiations with ATK, East Bengal and Mohun Bagan after reports emerged in the wake of the Super Cup stating Minerva Punjab's inability to retain him as he had better offers from several clubs.
Bengaluru FC, right after the opening of the summer Transfer Window released key Indian players like Lenny Rodrigues, Daniel Lalhlimpuia, Subhasish Bose, opening up slots in the roster for new players. The Blues subsequently picked up Rino Anto and Kean Lewis to fill the void. With Chencho Gyeltshen on board, it will surely provide Carlos Cuadrat ample amount of options up front with Kean, Udanta and Chhetri.
Bengaluru FC already have an Asian (AFC) Foreigner in Eric Paartulu in their ranks and now with Chencho being the second Asian foreigner would allow BFC to use as much diverse options as possible in the AFC Cup knockout stages ahead.
The cash-rich Indian Super League (ISL) is often known for its lucrative foreign signings from Europe. Chencho's arrival to the franchise based tournament would give new dimensions to ISL especially when the tournament is looking to replace I-League as the official top tier of the country in the future seasons.
What's next?
An official confirmation is yet to arrive from Bengaluru FC with the contract details. Bengaluru FC will face Turkmen Club Altyn Asyr FK in the AFC Cup Inter-zone Semi-Finals Leg 1 on 22nd August in Bengaluru. The contest can well feature Chencho Gyeltshen in the Bengaluru Blue.
With Chencho Gyeltshen joining the likes of Sunil Chhetri, Udanta Singh, Kean Lewis upfront for Bengaluru FC, the Blues would be extremely lethal going for goal next season. While the extension of Miku's tenure is yet to be declared, Bengaluru FC is shaping up brilliantly.
Can Bengaluru FC clinch their maiden Indian Super League and AFC Cup title? Let us know in the comments section.
