ISL: 10 Former players teams could use now
Yet another entertaining and quality season of ISL came to an end when ATK got the better of Chennaiyin FC to lift their third title in six seasons. While teams like ATK and FC Goa were a treat to watch, others like Hyderabad FC and NorthEast United could never get going over the five months.
Meanwhile, Bengaluru FC and Chennaiyin FC reached the playoffs but ended the campaign with a host of things to rectify before ball rolls again in the ISL next season. The mid-table finishers too have kept aside numerous elements to get right for a better outing in the season to come.
With the league evolving through professionalism and quality, it is up to the clubs to stay up to speed with their transitions and better their performances.
Though the season has just ended, the clubs have been proactive in the transfer market. The few big deals already signed are most likely to be followed by more in the upcoming months. As more than half of the ISL clubs are close to replacing their head coaches, we might witness an increased set of transfers this summer.
Here, we look at ten former players each team could use now.
#10 Mario Arques - Jamshedpur FC
After a season with Jamshedpur FC, Mario Arques signed for Kochi-based outfit Kerala Blasters. A lethal partnership was expected at Blasters when Sergio Cidoncha too joined him from JFC. However, the move didn't work out well for the Spaniard.
Arques could play only six games as an injury sidelined him for most of the season. In 432 minutes for Blasters, the 28-year-old provided one assist, completed 318 passes, and made 24 tackles.
As Bartholomew Ogbeche and Sergio Cidoncha are the only foreign players who have extended their stay at Kochi, Mario Arques will be on the way out.
However, the midfielder can still be a valuable addition at Jamshedpur FC. Though the Red Miners had promising names in midfield in the form of Aitor Monroy and Noe Acosta, they could never replicate what Arques did.
He played all 18 matches for JFC in the 2018/19 season and scored three goals in addition to providing two assists. The Villarreal youth academy product was an integral part of Jamshedpur and would be a vital presence if signed again.
#9 Pritam Kotal - Odisha FC
Pritam Kotal joined Delhi Dynamos (now Odisha FC) ahead of the 2017/18 season and played 25 games for the club before moving to ATK during the winter transfer window of the 2018/19 season.
His former employers might now be regretting the decision of letting him go as the defender has taken massive strides and improved his game. Pritam played every minute of ATK's title-winning campaign and was pivotal for the champions.
He scored one goal, completed 71 tackles, and made 149 clearances in Antonio Lopez Habas' untroubled back-three.
Odisha FC mostly relied on foreign centre-backs this season but that didn't help them a lot. Josep Gombau also tried young guns like Gaurav Bora at the heart of the defence and that didn't change things either. In total, the side conceded 31 goals and were left wanting an assuring presence at the back on numerous occasions.
An Indian defender like Kotal would've been a perfect addition for a team that showed a lot of promise on the offensive end, bit were frail defensively. However, a deal looks impossible as the player has a long contract with ATK until 2022 and the champions wouldn't dare to let him go.