Mumbai City FC has completed the signing of Nasser El Khayati on a free transfer, as announced earlier today. The Dutch midfielder, who joined Chennaiyin FC last summer, is now set to continue his football journey in India, this time with Mumbai.
El Khayati’s time at Chennaiyin
During his stint with Chennaiyin FC, El Khayati made quite an impact, scoring nine goals and contributing five assists in just 572 minutes of play. This impressive record equates to a goal or assist every forty minutes for the Marina Machans. However, despite his stellar performance, El Khayati faced limitations in terms of his appearances for Chennai, mainly due to persistent injuries. When the time came for Chennai to make a decision, they allowed the attacking midfielder to leave on a free transfer, despite his outstanding statistics.
In an attempt to address their midfield concerns, Chennai opted to replace Rafael Crivellaro, who also had a history of being injury-prone, with El Khayati but the latter turned out to be of the same mould.
El Khayati brought with him an impressive resume when he arrived in India, boasting a strong track record of over 90 appearances in the Eredivisie. In the Dutch top division, he notched an impressive 32 goals and provided 25 assists. The 34-year-old midfielder had his most successful period with ADO Den Haag, where he amassed nearly 100 appearances, scoring 38 goals and contributing 25 assists. Following three fruitful seasons there, he made a move to Qatar SC in the Stars League, spending less than two full seasons before returning to his former club, Den Haag, in the Netherlands.
However, his second stint with Den Haag didn’t live up to expectations, and he subsequently transferred to Willem II. Unfortunately, his time at Willem II proved disappointing as well, as he only played for 50 minutes in the league. As a result, El Khayati decided to take his talents to India.
This summer, Mumbai City FC faced the challenge of addressing some gaps in their squad due to the departure of some key players. They effectively addressed these issues and also significantly bolstered their team in preparation for the upcoming season, with the goal of defending their shield.
Their primary focus was on reinforcing their midfield, which involved securing the permanent signing of Vinit Rai and adding two new faces to the mix, Jayesh Rane on loan from Bengaluru and Yoëll van Nieff on a free transfer. Additionally, the squad also welcomed two promising and talented young midfielders, Seilenthang Lotjem and Franklin Robin Nazareth, ahead of the new season. Now, Nasser El Khayati is set to join the lot, and Mumbai City, along with Des Buckingham, will hope that the midfielder can overcome his injury issues and demonstrate the exceptional potential that lies within him.
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