ISL 2017: 5 foreign players who could join Kerala Blasters
The fourth season of the Indian Super League (ISL) will witness the popular franchise league at its grandest. With two more teams added to its roster, the ISL promises to be better and bigger this season with the league set to run for five months instead of the erstwhile three.
Thanks to the retooling of the ISL, clubs have been forced to focus their attention more on recruiting the best Indian players, while roping in marquee names from outside India has become an afterthought.
That being said, foreign players continue to be linked with various ISL clubs considering the league's status as a cash-rich one, and, as the two-time finalists, Kerala Blasters remain the top target for players and their agents alike.
Let's take a look at five foreign players who could be part of Kerala Blasters next season.
#1 Iain Hume
The Kerala Blasters fan favourite, striker Iain Hume, could be heading back to Kochi for the 2017/18 ISL campaign. Hume, who is ISL's record goalscorer, won the title with Atletico de Kolkata last season before leaving for Extremadura in Spain. He has recently been roped in by player agency Inventive Sports, which has had close ties with Kerala Blasters during the past ISL seasons.
With Atletico de Kolkata heading in a different direction after their separation from parent club Atletico Madrid, there is every possibility that Hume might not make a return to Kolkata. In that case, the 33-year-old, who played in Kerala's colours in ISL-1, could make a shock return to the Kochi-based outfit. However, it all depends on whether Steve Coppell is retained by the club or not.