East Bengal rope in two youngsters from Tamil Nadu
I-League side East Bengal FC have penned long-term deals with midfielder Jeegesh Jegi and Maju Clarence from the Chennai-based football academy 7 Plus Football and Fitness Academy in Sithalapakkam. The youngsters are expected to be part of the East Bengal reserves side which will come into formulation after the announcement of a new entity on June 1, 2020 in association with East Bengal Club.
Jeegesh Jegi is a central attacking midfielder who has come through the ranks of the lower divisions of Chennai football. He can also play as a midfielder on the right, if required. Maju Clarence is a left-winger and can also play as a false number 9 beside the main striker.
East Bengal are reported to have penned a deal with a private entity to form a new company in order to participate in the Indian Super League. It is rumoured that the new entity will be announced on 14th April and will come into legal formation on June 1, 2020.
The franchise-based league requires a reserve side that can play in the I-League 2nd Division. East Bengal are expected to relegate some of their players from last season's team squad to the reserve side if they manage to rope in better replacements for the same. Abhishek Ambekar, Gurwinder Singh and Bidyasagar Singh are expected to be part of the reserves side. The reserves side will include the top performers from the East Bengal U18 side as well.
East Bengal are also in initial talks with winger Bikash Jairu, Ashutosh Mehta, and Seikh Sahil to rope them in to bolster their Indian roster. The Red and Golds have roped in Indian-Iranian winger Omid Singh for the next two seasons as well as the Kolkata giants build their squad for a potential participation in the cash-rich league.