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Chennai City FC forward Mashoor Shereef Thangalakath is set to become the latest acquisition for NorthEast United FC, Sportskeeda understands.
The 27-year-old's three-year stay with the one-time I-League winners comes to an end after the ISL club made a move to rope in the Indian International. This news will be a boost to the Highlanders faithful, who are finally witnessing their team make a move in the transfer market after going without any signings since the conclusion of the 2019/20 Indian Super League season.
A source close to Sportskeeda said: "Mashoor Shereef has already signed his contract, and it's only a matter of time until NorthEast United officially announce his arrival to the club. He is someone the club scouted closely for some time, and they are delighted to rope in a versatile player."
The Malappuram-born Mashoor Shereef started the season under Akbar Nawas' tutelage as a forward and ended it as a center-back due to the defensive woes at Chennai City FC. Shereef has found the back of the net on five occasions from 23 appearances in all competitions including the I-League, the Sheik Kamal International Club Cup and the Durand Cup.
After undergoing a frustrating first year while appearing just five times under Soundararajan, Mashoor Shereef played a bit-part role en route to the club's debut league title during the 2018/19 season.
As his stock is on the rise, Mashoor Shereef will have a huge role to play in the upcoming season with NorthEast United FC, who are yet to confirm a new manager after parting ways with Robert Jarni earlier this year.
The Indian Super League outfit has lost some important players including Puitea, Milan Singh, and Redeem Tlang to Kerala Blasters, East Bengal, and FC Goa respectively and the signing of Mashoor Shereef will bolster the squad.
Despite managing to retain the services of Rakesh Pradhan, Subhasish Roy Chowdhury, Lalengmawia, Ninthoinganba Meetei, and Wayne Vaz, the club is under pressure from fans as the new season kicks off in three months.
It has been a quiet summer for NorthEast United FC because of the unprecedented financial distress due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The club remains hopeful to enter the playoffs for the second time in their history by operating shrewdly and finding the perfect balance in terms of foreigners and domestic players in the transfer market for the forthcoming season which is set to be played in Goa. The signing of Mashoor Shereef might be the first step in that direction.
