ISL Transfers: ATK-Mohun Bagan to sign India internationals Subhasish Bose and Manvir Singh
After clinching the sixth ISL title with a remarkable 3-1 win over Chennaiyin FC in the finals, ATK have signed India internationals Subhasish Bose and Manvir Singh. The Sanjiv Goenka-owned side have acquired 80% stakes of the traditional powerhouse in Kolkata football, Mohun Bagan, and the merged entity will come into effect from the next season.
Subhasish Bose's contract with Mumbai City FC will run its course by May. Having played for Mohun Bagan before in the I-League in 2017, this move will be a homecoming for the Kolkata native who joins the side on a free transfer in a long-term deal.
Subhasish has made 12 international appearances for India's national team, debuting against Chinese Taipei in the 2018 Intercontinental Cup. He also played all the three matches in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup group stage. But, he got restricted to the bench in India's last four international appearances as head coach Igor Stimac favoured Mandar Rao Dessai and Ashique Kuruniyan in the left-back position over him.
Manvir Singh, in contrast, was contracted with FC Goa for another season. But, ATK paid a hefty transfer fee to acquire his services. The Punjabi lad started his professional career in Kolkata with I-League Second Division club Mohammedan SC. After a one-year stint with Minerva Punjab, he shifted his base to Goa.
Manvir made 47 appearances for FC Goa in the ISL over a span of three seasons, mostly coming off the bench. The 24-year-old has scored 3 goals and bagged one assist. He made his international debut under Stephen Constantine against Mauritius. But, established himself as a regular in the national team's starting line-up against Stimac and has a total of 11 international caps to him.
Sanjiv Goenka's side are known to be a heavy spender in the transfer market. While it didn't bear any fruit in the previous two seasons, this time they clinched the ISL trophy with panache under the tutelage of Antonio Lopez Habas.
The merger between ATK and Mohun Bagan will see the rise of a new dawn in Kolkata football. And, they have set the tone in the right direction by signing Subhasish and Manvir.