ISL 2017: Atletico de Kolkata chasing former Premier League midfielder
Indian Super League champions Atletico de Kolkata are eyeing former Sheffield United and Stoke City midfielder Michael Tonge, who is currently a free agent after being released by Stevenage at the start of the current summer transfer window.
Tonge has been trialling at English League Two outfit Port Vale for the past few days after his contract with Stevenage ran out, and he is being seen as an experienced option at the heart of ATK's defence by the Kolkata club's new head coach Teddy Sheringham if reports from sources are to be believed.
That, along with technical director Ashley Westwood's recommendation, has meant ATK could come in with an offer for Tonge in the coming days, irrespective of how he performs in the Port Vale trials.
Westwood has had experience with working with British players in the past during his time in charge of Bengaluru FC. He brought in centre-back John Johnson to the two-time I-League champions, and also roped in Michael Collins and Josh Walker to the Kanteerava Stadium outfit.
Tonge, who has worked under Sheringham in the past at Stevenage, has played in the Premier League with Sheffield Wednesday and Stoke City. The 34-year-old is a former England youth international and spent most of his career in England playing for lower league clubs.
Primarily a central midfielder, Tonge has also played out wide on both flanks during his career, but his age and profile as a foreign signing will mean the ex-England U-21 international is seen as the man to replace Borja Fernandez, who yesterday completed his move to Spanish second division outfit Real Valladolid on a season-long deal, in central midfield.
ATK are set to undergo a major revamp after their three-year association with Spanish giants Atletico Madrid ended, and their new management team of Sheringham and Westwood are actively seeking foreign players to fit in with their philosophy.
Having had Spanish managers in the past three ISL seasons where they won two titles, ATK will have a distinctly British flavour this time out. In the past, the likes of Kerala Blasters and Pune City have tested with British coaches in the past with mixed results.
ATK's signing of Tonge could signal a departure from the club's Spanish methods which they inherited from Atletico Madrid, as Sheringham and Westwood eye a complete overhaul of the two-time champions.
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