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Mumbai City FC have managed to rope in the Dutch international Abdenasser El Khayati for the 2023-24 Indian Super League season. The 34-year-old, who was a revelation for Chennaiyin FC during the previous campaign by scoring nine goals and assisting five goals from just 13 games, will be an excellent addition to the reigning ISL Shield winners.
Despite being hampered by injuries, the former ADO Den Haag midfielder managed to contribute more than one goal per game to the Marina Machans, thereby taking his overall career tally to 72 goals and 46 assists from 226 appearances throughout his illustrious career.
He kicked off his career at ADO Den Haag and then had stints at different clubs including Burton Albion, Queens Park Rangers, Kozakken boys, and Qatar SC before opting to sign for the two-time Indian Super League champions.
Although he flourished under the tutelage of Thomas Bradaric, the Chennai-based outfit was unable to sign him back due to fitness concerns. The Dutch international missed a substantial part of the season and made 13 appearances across all competitions. But, Rafael Crivellaro's return has now sparked a few dialogues amongst the supporters. The Brazilian has barely featured since the turn of 2021.
On the other hand, Mumbai City FC's Des Buckingham has strengthened his squad by welcoming the likes of Akash Mishra, Tiri, Yoell van Nieff, Vinit Rai, and Jayesh Rane on top of El Khayati. Nothing less will be expected of the Islanders, who already possess a star-studded squad with Lallianzuala Chhangte, Greg Stewart, Jorge Pererya Diaz, Rahul Bheke, Bipin Singh, and Mehtab Singh.
Mumbai City FC will face the Iranian outfit Nassaji Mazandaran, Uzbeskitan's Navbahor, and Saudi's Al-Hilal, who have Neymar, Kalidou Koulibaly, Ruben Neves, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, and Aleksandar Mitrovic at their disposal. The Islanders will need a herculean effort to progress to the next round. They start their ISL League Shield defence with back-to-back away games against NorthEast United and Odisha FC.
