ISL Transfers: ATK to sign Spanish defender Victor Mongil
ATK is about to sign Spanish defender Victor Mongil for the remainder of the 2019-20 ISL season. The 27-year-old played for Georgian club Dinamo Tbilisi in the 2019 UEFA Europa League Qualifying campaign as a centre-back where his side stumbled in the third round.
ATK's ever-reliable centre-back Agus Iniguez has suffered an injury and could miss the remainder of the season. The management wasted no time in heeding to Antonio Lopez Habas' request of finding a replacement.
Mongil started his professional career with the reserve team of Valladolid in the fourth tier and even made seven appearances for their main team in La Liga II. He then made his way to the B team of Atletico Madrid and made 50 appearances for them, across three seasons.
After playing for numerous third-division clubs in Spain like Alcoyano, Merida, Pontevedra, and Levante B for the next five years, Mongil made the move to Georgian club Dinamo Tbilisi.
He played all the league matches for them as a part of their defensive unit and helped them keep 14 clean sheets in 36 matches. Mongil's side eventually clinched the title and would play in the UEFA Champions League first qualifying round in 2020.
ATK has the second-best defensive record in ISL so far and their head coach Antonio Lopez Habas is in no mood to slack it down. They immediately brought re-inforcements in the form of Mandi Sosa Pena when Carl McHugh got injured and have trodden the same path with Agus' injury.
The Kolkata-based club has also released John Johnson, who is leaving without making any appearance for the club this season. ATK were quite active in the summer transfer window and aren't stopping in the winter either.
Last season, they signed Edu Garcia in January and the winger made an instant impact for the club scoring 3 goals and bagging 2 assists in 6 matches. But, it proved to be too little too late as ATK failed to reach the playoffs.
This season they are leaving no stone unturned to finish at the top of the ISL points table as a direct group stage entry at the 2021 AFC Champions League beckons for the league stage toppers.