Kerala Blasters has completed the signing of Bhutanese forward Chencho Gyeltshen, IFTWC can confirm.
Kerala Blasters had a relatively small budget for their Asian players, as the club wanted to invest more in other departments. They had been looking for an Asian forward or attacking midfielder for quite some time and were offered players from Iran and other Asian countries, but in the end signed Chencho Gyeltshen. The player mutually terminated his contract with Punjab FC and joins Kerala on a free transfer.
Minerva Punjab FC had signed the 25-year-old midfielder back in 2017 where he had a fantastic year, which culminated in them winning their first I-League title. He contributed seven goals and four assists during that campaign.
After a successful stint with Minerva Punjab, Chencho was snapped up by Bengaluru FC in 2018. He played nine matches for them, scoring two goals before he was loaned out to Neroca FC in the winter transfer window. Chencho came off the bench mostly during his stint with Bengaluru with the presence of seasoned campaigners like Sunil Chhetri and Xisco Hernandez limiting his game time.
He returned back to Bhutan the following year to sign for Paro FC in the Bhutan Premier League, where he scored six goals in 16 matches. Chencho Gyeltshen returned to India last season, signing with his former club Round Glass Punjab FC in the I-League. He scored seven goals and provided one assist. The Bhutanese is now all set to make a comeback to the ISL after signing with the Kerala Blasters FC.
Chencho Gyeltshen also has experience playing in the Thai League for Buriram United FC and in the Bangladesh Premier League. Back in his country, the forward is also known as ‘Bhutanese Ronaldo’, being Bhutan’s all-time leading scorer and a huge fan of Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo himself.
Kerala Blasters had previously announced the signing of Uruguayan midfielder Adrian Luna and Jorge Diaz. Spanish striker Alvaro Vazquez is also set to join the club, and with the signing of Chencho Gyeltshen, they have added even more firepower to their forward line. Chencho is one of the most surprising transfers of the window this summer on paper, and it remains to be seen how well he performs for his new club on the field.
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