Indian Football Transfers: ISL side ATK to sign A-League star David Williams
ATK's spree of signing high-profile foreign players continues and next up on their list is former Wellington Phoenix striker David Williams. According to the Covert Agent, the 31-year-old will unite with his Fijian counterpart Roy Krishna for the ISL side as the A-League duo is set to fire in the subcontinent.
David Williams wreaked havoc in the A-League last season alongside Krishna, sharing 30 goals between them in the competition. The former Australian U-17 and U-20 international scored eleven times in 27 matches as Wellington Phoenix finished sixth in the points table.
Williams is known for his pace, technique, and unpredictability in the final third and would be a valuable asset for the two-time champions. His ability to play on either side of the wings beside the center-forward position will be an added bonus for ATK in the ISL given that they struggled in the striking department last season.
The ISL has seen a strong Australian influence lately with former FIFA World Cup player, Tim Cahill, turning up for Jamshedpur FC last season. Erik Paartalu has been with Bengaluru FC since the last two seasons and Christopher Herd, who was a part of the 2011 AFC Asian Cup winning squad, joined Chennaiyin FC in the second half of the tournament
ATK has made the most noise in the transfer market so far for all the right reasons. Firstly, they bought Jobby Justin from East Bengal, who enjoyed a terrific form in the I-League. Then, they gave contract extensions to their star players from the last season - Manuel Lanzarote, John Johnson, and Edu Garcia.
Just when it seemed ATK were done with celebrated signings, they reunited brothers Michael Soosairaj and Michael Regin to play for the Kolkata-based side. Roping 26-year-old defender Carl McHugh from Scottish Premiership side Motherwell had the whole Indian football fraternity talking.
With former coach Antonio Lopez Habas back at the helm, ATK surely looks like the favorites to lift the ISL title. However, one ought to note that they splurged their coffers in the winter transfer window last season to push for a top 4 spot but failed miserably.