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Hyderabad FC, in a major addition to their midfield ranks, are set to sign Petteri Pennanen. The 32-year-old former Finnish international will join from Veikkausliiga side Ilves for an undisclosed transfer fee, as per reports. He will ply his trade alongside the likes of Sahil Tavora, Hitesh Sharma and club captain Joao Victor in the centre of midfield at the Maidaan.
Pennanen is expected to fill in the big vacancy left by Borja Herrera, who signed for East Bengal earlier in this summer transfer window. The 32-year-old is good at both maintaining possession and breaking up play of opponents.
One of the things that have drawn Hyderabad FC's attention towards Pennanen is his ability to shoot from long distances, which is an asset for a central midfielder. This often comes in handy when recycling the ball from free kicks or corners. Pennanen is also known to keep a calm head in the heat of battle and pierce gaps when carrying the ball forward.
Pennanen has won the Finnish Midfielder of the Year award on three occasions
Hyderabad FC have reportedly agreed on a deal with Ilves after a clause has been met in Pennanen's contract. A product of KuPS, Pennanen has made 15 appearances for Finland in age-group football. He was also given a cap by the senior team on one occasion.
Having won the Veikkausliiga midfielder of the year award thrice - 2018, 2019 and 2022, Pennanen will add a lot of depth to Hyderabad FC's midfield resources. He was also a part of the Veikkausliiga team of the year on two occasions- 2018 and 2019.
Dutch side FC Twente and American club Sacramento Republic are among a host of clubs that can claim to have employed Pennanen's services before. His local club KuPS and TPS are other sides for whom he has made a lot of appearances. He came back to Finland after a one-year stint in America with Sacramento Republic in 2021.
Hyderabad FC will be boosted by the presence of Pennanen in their midfield and also benefit tremendously from his wealth of experience. Having already signed left-back Vignesh Dakshinamurthy and centre-forward Jonathan Moya, it appears as if the Yellow and Black Brigade are on their way towards solidifying the other chinks in their armour. With the addition of Pennanen, it seems that their midfield is in safe hands going into the 2023-24 season.
