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Odisha FC have acquired the services of Yendrembam Denechandra Meitei from Kerala Blasters on a season-long loan, the club announced on Wednesday.
The 28-year-old is a versatile defender who can also slot in at the defensive midfield position. Meitei's addition is expected to strengthen the backline of the Kalinga Warriors.
Denechandra Meitei, born in Manipur, started playing football at the age of 10. He started training at a local stadium to improve his technical ability before making it into his district team.
Denechandra Meitei then broke into the Manipur football team in the youth nationals. In 2008, he signed with Mohun Bagan A.C. to join their academy. A year later, Meitei joined the Sambhalpur Academy in Odisha.
After returning to Manipur, Meitei was selected for the Pune FC academy. While with the academy, he won the U19 I-League twice.
The left-back made his in-roads into the Indian Super League in August of 2020 when he signed for Kerala Blasters from TRAU FC. He made his first appearance for the Blasters against Chennaiyin FC.
In 2021, Meitei renewed his agreement with Kerala Blasters for a further three years. Meitei participated in his first Durand Cup game against Bengaluru FC representing Kerala Blasters. He played his first match of the 2021-22 ISL season as a substitute for Nishu Kumar against BFC. Meitei went on to make two more appearances in the season.
Previously, Denechandra represented India at the U-23 level in a tournament hosted in Bangladesh.
Addition of Denechandra Meitei shows Odisha FC eyeing to strengthen squad
The Juggernauts showed an improvement in the previous edition of the tournament from the 2020-21 season. They finished seventh with 23 points, stunning sides like Bengaluru FC, Mumbai City FC, and NorthEast United FC. However, the lack of squad depth and stability continued to show.
This year, the Kalinga Warriors are hoping to bury the ghosts of the past. They have onboarded the likes of Michael Soosairaj and Narender Gahlot to strengthen the core Indian group.
Furthermore, bringing in Meitei shows that the Juggernauts are not just gunning after big names. Meitei's addition and flexibility will make him a valuable addition to Josep Gombau's unit. The gaffer said about the new signing:
"We needed reinforcement in the LB (Left-Back) position for the upcoming season and Meitei was a perfect fit. His signing adds more depth to our squad which makes his addition all the more important."
