ISL 2018: Delhi Dynamos sign former Chennaiyin FC midfielder Rene Mihelic
What's the story?
It is official that Delhi Dynamos have roped in Rene Mihelic from fellow Indian Super League club Chennaiyin FC for the upcoming season.
In case you didn't know...
The 30-year-old Slovenian has vast experience playing for multiple clubs. He started playing for local club NK Maribor U19 before moving to their senior side. After staying at Maribor for five years, he moved to First Tier Liga NOS (Portuguese league) club CD Nacional in 2010.
The Slovenian spent a season on loan at Levski Sofia and then permanently moved to local side Zavrč. After a solitary season there, the midfielder made a move to first tier Hungarian club Debrecen. Israeli first-tier club Hapoel Raanana came calling and the playmaker decided to try his luck in Israel for two seasons. Riga signed him from Hapoel Raanana and he played 5 matches for the first tier Latvian club before finally making a move to India last season as part of Chennaiyin FC, which later went on to become champions.
The sheer vastness of the clubs Rene Mihelic has played for is simply phenomenal, that too at the top level. Add to that the fact that he has also played for the Slovenian National team at multiple age levels, and we have a winner.
The heart of the matter
The Dynamos revealed their new player in a rather unique fashion. In a short video on Twitter, MIHELIC was disclosed by combining the initials of past or present Dynamos players. Full marks to Dynamos' media team for creativity.
Becoming a champion in his first season of ISL with Chennaiyin, Rene Mihelic has set high expectations for himself. The playmaker proved his worth for Chennaiyin the moment he arrived. Playing 14 matches for the Marina Machans, their number 10 scored 2 important goals and assisted 4.
What's next?
The Dynamos fans will certainly be ecstatic after this newly announced signing.
Rene Mihelic is also a specialist in dead-ball situations and also comes up with crucial interceptions every now and then. A really hard-working player with an incredible work-rate, time will tell if he can create a similar influence at Delhi the way he did for the defending Champions.
Delhi finished at an unimpressive 8th position in their previous campaign as they won 5, drew 4, and lost 9 of their 18 matches.
One thing is certain, Delhi have attempted to bolster their midfield, an area where they were lacking in last season, with the signings of Marcos Tebar and now Rene. Whether it pays off or not time will tell but they already look a stronger side with an array of new signings such as defender Narayan Das, and midfielder Bikramjit Singh, and striker Daniel Lalhlimpuia.
Will the new signing of playmaker Rene Mihelic change the fortunes of the Delhi-based ISL club in the upcoming season? Do let us know what you feel in the comments section below.