“Jamshedpur FC’s offer was a big confidence booster when I was at the bottom of ISL” - Daniel Chima Chukwu opens up on his SC East Bengal stint and the Men of Steel's title chances

“Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.”

Remember this iconic line from the movie “The Shawshank Redemption” (1994)? When Daniel Chima Chukwu made the switch from SC East Bengal to Jamshedpur FC last month, he was emotionally at a low ebb. What sustained him during that phase was hope – the hope of ending the season on a high and doing justice to his name.

When SC East Bengal announced Chima's signing for ISL 2021-22 in September last year, the fans’ excitement reached fever pitch. After all, he shares his middle name with Chima Okorie, a legend of the maidan who played for Mohammedan Sporting, East Bengal and Mohun Bagan.

Having previously plied his trade in European football’s top level and the Chinese Super League, Chima arrived on Indian shores with a massive reputation. He was a goal machine at Molde FK, where he played alongside Erling Haaland and under the tutelage of former Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Chima scored 34 goals in 118 appearances spread over two stints at the Norwegian club and guided them to three Eliteserien titles and two Norwegian Cup triumphs.

However, the Nigerian striker was unable to perform along the expected lines for the Red and Gold Brigade, which exposed him to the rage of East Bengal’s volatile fan base on social media. The Nigerian forward struck only twice – a brace against Odisha FC – in his 10 appearances for the club. He often looked helpless up front due to the lack of quality playmakers in the side.

As soon as Chima parted ways with the then bottom-placed SC East Bengal, Owen Coyle’s Jamshedpur FC jumped into the fray and snapped him up as a replacement for Nerijus Valskis, who was lured back by Chennaiyin FC at the start of the winter transfer window. The move seems to have worked well for the Nigerian as he scored in his very first outing for the Men of Steel last week and is now with a side who are competing for top spot.

A couple of days before Jamshedpur FC’s reverse fixture against Bengaluru FC at Bambolim’s Athletic Stadium, Chima spoke exclusively to Sportskeeda about his SC East Bengal stint and how his new team has given him a chance for redemption.

With 22 points from 12 matches (six wins, four draws and two losses), Jamshedpur FC currently occupy second spot in the points table.

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Q: Congratulations on your maiden goal for Jamshedpur FC. How did you feel after scoring the winner in your side's 1-0 win over FC Goa in the last match?

Chima: Thank you so much for the appreciation. It was a very good feeling to score the goal. It was also important to me as we won the match and got those three points. After scoring and getting the lead, I was really hoping and thinking, "If this is the only goal we are going to score, let’s not concede."

And that is exactly what happened! I was also thinking, "Okay Daniel, this is you and you can do it. What happened with my past team [SC East Bengal] is in the past." It was also the first time I scored a goal on a debut in my career, and I am glad to have done it with Jamshedpur FC.

Q: In a recent interview with Jamshedpur FC's media team, you said that you were feeling a bit low before joining the team. Could you kindly elaborate on that? Also, how did the Jamshedpur deal happen?

Chima: [On feeling low] Yes, because certain things weren’t going the right way. When I arrived in India for the first time, it was nice and positive in the beginning with my previous team. There were a lot of expectations as well, of course. But when the team wasn’t able to get the desired results, it started impacting me a lot, especially because of the negative comments, insults and trolling that I came across in those months.

I wanted to do more and help the team as much as I could, but we were in a moment where nothing was going right. I got a lot of support from my family at the time and they motivated me a lot. They said that I should keep going, but I was mentally down and was about to leave India. Then suddenly Jamshedpur FC happened.

[About the Jamshedpur deal] It’s funny how it happened. I needed to go back home [in Europe] to sort out a personal matter which was important for my family. My previous club and I were looking for a solution as I had to attend to the matter urgently. That's when Jamshedpur came knocking and this helped me do both – continue with the season as well as go home for a few days to sort things out.

I was about to leave India and that's when my agent called and told me that Jamshedpur was interested. It was also a big confidence booster as the team at the top of the table wanted me, who was at the bottom of the league, and it meant that I was probably doing something right. So I told my agent, "Let’s do it."

The signing for Jamshedpur was also a way of telling my family and close friends that I am okay, and that I have not given up despite all that was endured in the previous months...that I am still very hungry.

Q: You looked incredibly energetic in your previous match against FC Goa. Even your body language and training photos suggest that mentally you’re in a better space now. How important a role does a team's management play in boosting a player's confidence?

Chima: Yes, it is very vital for a player. Everyone at Jamshedpur FC received me well from the moment I signed. The messages I received from the staff as I landed back in India gave me a good feeling and much encouragement. And when I came here to the hotel, I was treated very well and they were trying their best to make me feel comfortable and at home. The management here is very supportive and the coach helped me get inducted into the system as soon as I put my foot on the training ground and met my new teammates.

Q: With players like Greg Stewart, Seiminlen Doungel and Jordan Murray around, do you think Daniel Chima is now set to show his true scoring form?

Chima: I was always ready, to be honest. All I needed as a striker were players around me who could get those final passes in the attacking third of the pitch. At my previous club, I had to do some crazy work and go all the way up from the back to attack by myself and after a while, in any match, it becomes difficult to keep doing that over and over again. But over here, in my first match, the skipper [Peter Hartley] just told me, "Keep going forward, you have many people behind you to provide you support on the pitch and all these boys will focus on the attack with you". It’s great to a back-upat I have back-up now. It allows me to do my job and help the team overall.

Q: Jamshedpur went into the FC Goa match after a 17-day gap due to a COVID-19 outbreak. Was the team a bit nervous? Also, are you better accustomed to Goa’s weather now?

Chima: Honestly, I don’t really know the whole picture as I joined the team in training only three days before the match. But what I can say is that the spirit of the team from day one was class apart and of a very high level. Everybody was hungry and looking forward to the match as the team had not played for a while. So, the hunger was there and the Gaffer also kept motivating and gave us the confidence to get those three points.

[About the weather in Goa] Yes, I have been here since October. I had some skin reactions to the weather initially, but I am surprised that since I am back after my short trip back home to Europe, I have not had any reactions like that.

Q: Your next four games are against potential semi-finalists. How many points from these four games do you think will help Jamshedpur FC secure their first ISL playoff berth?

Chima: That’s tough to stay as the teams are so close to each other in the table right now, but what I can tell you is that our focus is on the next match. We will go match by match and that is what will affect where we stand at the end of the league stage.

Q: Is the team currently looking only at the playoffs or are you mainly eyeing the top spot, so that you can gain direct entry into next season's AFC Champions League?

Chima: Again, as I said, we will go match by match and see where we stand at the end. Our focus is to get three points in every match.