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205 – the number of players who were up for purchase at the Indian Super League domestic draft. With every team required to have a minimum of 15 Indian players and a maximum of 18 players in their squad, the race to sign the most reliable and value for money footballers was always going to be intense. New entrants Jamshedpur FC, courtesy of not having signed a single player, entered the draft from round one. Fellow debutants Bengaluru FC displayed wisdom by retaining Sunil Chhetri and pacy winger, Udanta Singh.
But all eyes were on FC Goa, who had a torrid time last season. The Gaurs finished at the bottom of the table with just 14 points at the end of 14 games. The management decided to part ways with the legendary Zico and roped in Sergio Lobera Rodriguez. The Spaniard would have had to work overtime to ensure his side sign the right players at the draft. By retaining goalkeeper, Laximant Kattimani and Mandar Rao, FC Goa ensured a couple familiar yet dependable faces continue to ply their trade for them.
Goa entered the draft in round 3 and swooped in on left back, Narayan Das as their first pick. Their attempt to lure Mumbai based right back, Rahul Bheke was thwarted by Bengaluru FC who decided against a trade. Arguably Goa signed their most important player in round 4, they roped in workman defensive midfielder, Pronay Halder for Rs. 58 lakhs. The steal of their day came in the form of creative midfielder, Brandon Fernandes.
At Churchill Brothers, he consistently displayed his versatility and fortune shined bright on Goa as they scooped him up for a mere Rs 27.5 lakhs. Shoring up the midfield seems to have been on the mind of Goa’s management who’ve ensured they signed up a rock-solid set of ball playing midfielders. The midfield position demands generous and hard-working players. Goa have successfully acquired the services of a handful of them. Here is the latest squad list of The Gaurs.
Updated Squad List of FC Goa
Goalkeepers: Laximant Kattimani, Naveen Kumar, Bruno Colaco
Defenders: Narayan Das, Chinglensana Singh, Mohamed Ali, Amey Ranawade
Midfielders: Pronay Halder, Brandon Fernandes, Mandar Rao, Seriton Fernandes, Pratesh Shirodkar, Jovel Martins, Anthony Dsouza, Mohammed Yasir, Bruno Pinheiro, Manuel Arana Rodriguez
Forwards: Ferran Corominas
