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A mega transfer sage finally came to a close as Mumbai City FC announced the signing of Akash Mishra from Hyderabad FC on Monday, June 19. The talented youngster signed a five-year contract until May 2028.
In a press release, the Islanders said that they had paid an undisclosed fee for the leading full-back.
Once it was made aware by the Nizams that Mishra was available on the transfer market but for a premium price, a bidding war emerged between Mumbai and Mohun Bagan Super Giant. However, the ISL League Winners have managed to trump their rivals and secure the services of the 21-year-old.
Elated by his move to Mumbai, Akash Mishra in the press release averred:
“To arrive at a club like Mumbai City FC, it is a moment of pride for me and my family. The vision and ambition this club has is for everyone to see but more importantly, it gives me the best platform to grow and progress my career. I’ve spoken to coach Des who has shown a lot of faith in me and to be able to play football the way he envisions it, it’s one of the many things that excites me about joining Mumbai City FC.”
With the Islanders, the explosive full-back will also have an opportunity to participate and show his prowess in the 2023-24 AFC Champions League.
“Much like mine, the club’s aspirations go beyond domestic success, aiming to leave a mark in Asia as well and I am excited to represent Mumbai City FC at the highest possible levels," he expressed.
Fruthermore, in his statement, Akash thanked Hyderabad for supporting him and providing him with the opportunity to climb up the footballing ladder.
Is Akash Mishra the missing piece of Mumbai City FC's puzzle?
Throughout the recently concluded season, the only spot in the starting lineup where Mumbai City FC had to slightly scratch their heads for a capable solution was at left-back.
Mandar Rao Desai, who was the first option in the previous seasons, couldn't string together consistent performances, while Vignesh Dakshinamurthy was often error-prone in defensive phases and had a lot of room for development. The struggles even forced Des Buckingham to deploy Vinit Rai as a makeshift left-back spot in one of their ISL encounters.
Hence, going into the summer transfer window, it made complete sense for the club to splurge the cash on strengthening the full-back spot. Akash Mishra has been one of those potent full-back options in the country for a while.
Born in Balarampur in Uttar Pradesh, Akash began his footballing journey playing locally and for his school before making the move to the U Dream Football Academy in Germany in 2015 at the age of 14. Three years later, he returned to India and was snapped up by Indian Arrows. In two seasons in the I-League, he thoroughly impressed the on-lookers and earned a move to Hyderabad FC in the summer of 2020.
The youngster went on to become an invaluable member of Manolo Marquez’s project at the club and was part of the historic ISL title-winning campaign in the 2021-22 season. Even in the recently concluded season, Mishra made 25 appearances for the Nizams across competitions.
Hence, Mumbai boss Des Buckingham was quick the laud the young full-back after the announcement of his signing.
“Akash possesses a wide range of positive attributes required in the modern game and is an exciting prospect. His signing continues our promise of developing young players and we are pleased he has trusted our club to progress in the next stage of his career. He is a mature young man and we look forward to helping him realise and reach his potential. Akash will provide us with a different approach to playing and is someone who I am looking forward to working with," the English tactician said.
His club performaces also earned him an international call-up in March 2021, where he made his debut for the Blue Tigers in an international friendly against Oman. Now a regular left-back for the country under Igor Stimac, the 21-year-old has 16 international caps to his name.
He will now be hoping to replicate and better all of his previous exploits with the Islanders and help them reach new heights in both national and continental competitions.
