'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Indian Super League (ISL) champions Bengaluru FC are learnt to have zeroed in on a back-up goalkeeper to Gurpreet Singh Sandhu in Indian Arrows' first-choice custodian Prabhsukhan Singh Gill.
BFC current second-choice, Soram Poirei, played only one match this season, against Jamshedpur FC. He let slip five goals, guilty of committing school-boy errors leading to at least two of them as BFC recorded their worst defeat in the ISL.
Prabhsukhan's entry into the fold will help Bengaluru reassure themselves of a dependable goalkeeper, who has been on the rise in the Indian football scene. It's likely that Prabhsukhan will be promoted up the pecking order above Poirei once the signing is announced.
Prabhsukhan, 18 now, was the second-choice goalkeeper for India at the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup, behind Dheeraj Singh. Once Dheeraj left for his highly hyped trial with Motherwell FC in Scotland, Prabhsukhan took charge at Arrows and has been their first-choice custodian for the last two seasons.
For Arrows this season, Prabhsukhan conceded 28 goals in 18 appearances but had impressive outings against teams like Gokulam Kerala, Minerva Punjab and the relegated Shillong Lajong. He kept 6 clean sheets overall and shows signs of an improving player.
He was also the Man of the Match in the Arrows' 2-0 victory over Kerala Blasters in the Super Cup qualifiers, as he made some fabulous saves from point-blank to compund the Blasters' miserable season.
Also Read: Another Arrows goalkeeper, Lovepreet Singh, recently signed with Kerala Blasters
One factor that may weigh the scales towards Prabhsukhan is that his elder brother, Gursimrat Singh Gill, is part of the Bengaluru FC squad as a defender. If Prabhsukhan moves to Bengaluru, he may already find a piece of his home with the ISL champions.
Bengaluru have been largely silent so far in the transfer window but there will be a mini shake-up in the days to come. Some of the players who are expected to leave are striker Miku, midfielder Dimas Delgado and probably Poirei himself.
Bengaluru FC coach Carles Cuadrat's visit to Kobe, Japan, sparked rumours of a possible signing announcement in the form of Andres Iniesta, who is plying his trade with J-League team Vissel Kobe along with David Villa and Lukas Podolski.
Even though it was just a visit to the Vissel Kobe club office, it prompted a cheeky tweet from Sunil Chhetri:
Bengaluru will not sign Iniesta but they may become active soon in the transfer window with the announcement of Prabhsukhan.
