ISL 2020-21: Top 5 I-League recruits to watch out for
The 2020-21 ISL season has seen 12 matches so far, with 23 goals being scored. ATK Mohun Bagan are leading the points table after winning both their games. This season of the ISL has seen a lot of new players make their mark in the competition, with some of them coming from the I-League.
Mohun Bagan won the last edition of the I-League, courtesy their 14-match unbeaten run. Although the I-League couldn't complete its course like the ISL due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the organisers handed Mohun Bagan the trophy as no team could have mathematically surpassed them.
Mohun Bagan's head coach Kibu Vicuna is now in charge of ISL club Kerala Blasters.
Five I-League players to watch out for in the 2020-21 ISL
Many Mohun Bagan players have received ISL contracts. Players from other I-League clubs are also not behind in this respect.
On that note, let us have a look at five I-League players who could make their mark in this edition of the ISL.
#5 Laishram Premjit Singh (TRAU to Odisha FC)
Laishram Premjit Singh is one of the youngest players to feature in the 2020-21 ISL. The 18-year-old has already made two appearances for Odisha FC, which includes one start, in the ISL this season.
Premjit Singh is primarily an attacking midfielder but can also play on the right wing. His biggest asset is his blistering pace and ball control in the final third.
He played nine matches and scored a goal for TRAU in the I-League last season and will be eager to take his team to the ISL playoffs for the first time.
#4 Ritwik Das (Real Kashmir to Kerala Blasters)
A host of ISL clubs were after the signature of Ritwik Das, as the Asansol native played wonderfully in the right flank in two seasons for Real Kashmir. However, Kerala Blasters managed to sign him.
Ritwik Das played the opening match of ISL 2020-21 where he had a golden opportunity to score. However, he scuffed his lines and squandered the chance to become the first goalscorer in the seventh season of the ISL.
#3 Akash Mishra (Indian Arrows to Hyderabad FC)
Indian Arrows are known to be a scouting pad of young players for ISL clubs. The team doesn't play any foreign player in the I-League and largely comprise of U-16 and U-19 India internationals.
After ISL club Hyderabad FC signed Akash Mishra from Indian Arrows on a three-year deal, the 19-year-old has proved his worth at his new club. The left-back has helped his team keep two clean sheets in as many matches and could end up as one of the best left-backs in the country.
#2 Nongdamba Naorem (Mohun Bagan to Kerala Blasters)
Kerala Blasters loaned Nongdamba Naorem to Mohun Bagan last season for the player to get some game-time. The youngster's brilliant play in the left flank saw him end the season with a winner's medal.
Naorem played 16 matches in the I-league last season and scored two goals. This season, he has already made two ISL appearances for Kerala Blasters, whose head coach Kibu Vicuna has used Naorem in both flanks. However, the player has no goals or assists to show for his efforts so far.
#1 Fran Gonzalez (Mohun Bagan to Bengaluru FC)
Fran Gonzalez is the only foreign player to make the jump from the I-League to the ISL.
The Mohun Bagan defender scored ten goals last season and was one of the key players in his team's title triumph.
He signed a year-long contract extension with the Kolkata giant, but the club's new management decided to release him.
ISL club Bengaluru FC pounced on the opportunity to sign him. The Spaniard has made two appearances for his new ISL club, helped them keep one clean sheet.