Kerala Blasters FC's Subha Ghosh is all set to join RoundGlass Punjab FC
Young Indian forward Subha Ghosh is all set to complete a transfer from Kerala Blasters FC (KBFC) to RoundGlass Punjab FC (RGPFC) for an undisclosed fee, a source tracking the development has confirmed to Sportskeeda.
The move will mark Ghosh’s return to the I-League after a two-year hiatus. Soon after making his I-League debut for Mohun Bagan in the 2019-20 season, Ghosh shot to fame as a super-sub and played a vital part in the Mariners’ victorious campaign under Kibu Vicuna’s tutelage.
Unexposed to the rigors of top-flight football back then, Ghosh was deployed by Vicuna as an impact substitution and he reposed the faith by netting three goals in eight I-League appearances that season, including the first-leg equalizer against Punjab FC (then Minerva Punjab) that helped Bagan consolidate their position as league-toppers.
After the merger between Mohun Bagan’s football section and the erstwhile ATK FC was officially completed in July 2020, Ghosh, along with fellow forward Kiyan Nassiri and midfielder Sheikh Sahil, was retained by the new entity called ATK Mohun Bagan FC for the 2020-21 edition of the Indian Super League (ISL).
However, since moving to the ISL, Ghosh has only managed to play 63 minutes in SC East Bengal (SCEB) colors.
During his short spell at ATKMB, then managed by Antonio Lopez Habas, the Mohun Bagan academy product didn’t get to play a single match.
The lack of playing time led Ghosh to reunite with Vicuna at Kerala Blasters in December 2020, as part of a swap deal with his former Bagan teammate Nongdamba Naorem.
A major controversy erupted when it was discovered that Naorem had an ACL tear, which forced ATKMB to cancel Ghosh’s transfer in the Centralized Registration System (CRS). The dispute went through AIFF’s Player Status Committee and was resolved after two months, but Ghosh ended up missing the entire season.
The following season, Ghosh joined SC East Bengal from Kerala Blasters on a season-long loan deal. However, former SCEB head coach Manolo Diaz axed him from the final squad even before the eighth edition of the ISL began in Goa.
After Diaz’s sacking and Mario Rivera’s appointment as the new SCEB head coach, Ghosh was recalled to the squad in mid-January and was finally given some game time. Although the Shyamnagar-born forward made three appearances at the business end of the tournament, he started in only one game (SCEB’s final league fixture against Bengaluru FC), giving a good account of his speed and attacking instincts.
Ironically, despite having a year left on his contract with Kerala Blasters, Ghosh has never played an official match for the three-time ISL runners-up. Desperate for more minutes on the field, the 21-year-old will now look to find his scoring boots and help Punjab clinch their second I-League title after the 2017-18 season.
RoundGlass Punjab FC finished fifth in the I-League 2021-22 with 28 points from 18 matches (eight wins, four draws and six losses).