ISL 2017: Anas Edathodika wishes to play for Kerala Blasters before calling it a day

Enter capt — Anas Edathodika wishes to play for Kerala Blasters

What's the story?

The joint costliest player in the ISL draft pick, Anas Edathodika, was a man in demand in the draft process. He eventually went to the newest side in the Indian Super League - Jamshedpur FC - for a whopping salary of ?1.1 crore.

First of all, I would like to thank @delhidynamosfc for giving me an opportunity to be part of the family. I had the opportunity to be trained by top class coaches like Gianluca Zambrotta, Simeone, Roberto Carlos and all other coaching staff as well. It was really good times with all my brothers at DDFC. I was so lucky to be part of it. And to the ultras and the mariners, you guys were terrific, ??. Much happy to be part of one of the historic clubs in India, @mohunbaganac. To all my people in Kerala. Many times, I wished if I could play for my home team. But the situation will not be always in favour to us. Trust me, inshallah I will try my best to play for @keralablasters before I end my career. Your love and support means a lot to me. To play in front of the Manjappada would be something special ?. And yes, it's time for a new challenge. I will give my best for my team, @tatajamshedpurfc. Much Love, Anas Edathodika

A post shared by Anas Edathodika (@anasedathodika15) on Aug 4, 2017 at 2:50am PDT

In a post on Instagram, Anas thanked his coaches at Delhi Dynamos for their input and also wished the Mohun Bagan fans well. Anas also revealed that he will play for Kerala Blasters before he calls it a day which will be music to the ears of his home side's supporters.

In case you didn't know...

His former side, Delhi Dynamos were keen on retaining his services for the upcoming season but the financial intricacies of the deal led the Dynamos to release Anas. The central defender was asking for a salary of ?1.3 crores which would have seen him earn the same amount as India captain Sunil Chhetri and almost equal to what Sandesh Jhingan will earn with the Blasters. Subsequently, Dynamos signed Pritam Kotal and Albino Gomes whereas Jamshedpur got their man at a huge price.

The heart of the matter

Anas Edathodika is considered as one of the best defenders in the country with his solid performances in the ISL getting him a national team call-up earlier in the year. Anas was born in Kerala and referred Kerala Blasters as his home team in his Instagram post.

Anas claimed that he tried to get himself a move to Kerala on many occasions but the situation was not favourable for making it a reality. He also mentions the fans from God's own country as being extra special and makes a promise that he will don the yellow shirt once before retirement.

What's next?

Edathodika will be in action from the month of November as he will lead the Jamshedpur-based side in their first ever season in the ISL. He said that playing in front of the Manjappada - the Blasters faithful - will be something special and the fans now cannot wait for Jamshedpur FC's away game against the Blasters when Anas will be back at his home.

Author's take

The central defender has been a late bloomer in his career and though he has been consistent in the last few years, Anas is 30 at the moment and does not have many years in his artillery. If he is serious about his wish of joining the Kerala Blasters, then he will have to do that fairly soon.