After the addition of Scottish Midfielder Bradden Inman, the Kolkata giants complete their foreigner’s quota. Let’s take a look at who are the foreign recruits of ATK Mohun Bagan.
On the way down, fans talk about “The new club is ATK”, on the way up we also hear “No, they are Mohun Bagan.” Both are throwaway lines that zone in on the biggest dilemma for an ISL outfit — ATK Mohun Bagan. ATK made a colossal difference on the pitch during the freshly finished edition of Hero Indian Super League, which earned them the laurel. While Mohun Bagan displayed their class to grab the I-League title.
After an ambitious merger of the two champions, the new-born franchise stepped into the market with a polished transfer strategy to armour-plate Antonio Habas’s squad. The club management is pulling out all the stops to bring the A-game to the table, for the upcoming season.
- Roy Krishna (Striker, Contract extended)
The skipper of Fiji national team was signed by ATK in 2019. He was handed the captain’s armband immediately after and the morale in the camp was seen going upbeat since then. Roy came into the spotlight during his stint with Waitakere United in New Zealand top flight. He was awarded NZFC Golden Boot for 2012-13. After scoring 55 goals in 75 games he was once approached by Dutch side PSV Eindhoven.
In 2014, he joined Wellington Phoenix where he also served as the club captain. He is the only player in A-League to score 3 consecutive braces. Krishna won the A-League golden boot with 18 goals in 2018-19 seasons. After playing 122 games and netting 51 times in 5 seasons, He was roped in by ATK in June 2019. He scored his debut ISL goal in just second game. Roy’s hat-trick against Odisha FC booked a playoff berth for his side.
Roy Krishna scored a total of 15 goals in his inaugural ISL season and finished second in the golden boot race just behind Nerijus Valskis. However, he guided his side to their third league title. The 33-year-old has signed an extension and will captain ATKMB next season.
- Edu Garcia (Winger, Contract extended)
The 30-year-old Spaniard is a product of Real Zaragoza academy. He also holds the experience of playing in La Liga Segunda División (2nd tier) and Copa del Ray. He joined ISL side Bengaluru FC in 2017 where he found the net a couple of times during 14 appearances. After a below-par season, he moved to Chinese club Zhejiang Greentown in 2018.
ATK bought him in December 2018 and Garcia represented the red and white for the remainder of the season. He was handed the number 10 shirt. So far, Eduardo has worn the boots for ATK 22 times while scoring 9 goals, including one in the ISL final of 2020. The Spanish winger has signed an extension which will keep him in Kolkata for next 2 seasons.
- David Williams (Striker, Contract extended)
Williams was a part of U-17, U-20 and U-23 squad of the Socceroos however he couldn’t make any significant contribution towards the senior national team as he only has 2 appearances. Yet, he is a known figure in A-League as he earned 101 caps for Melbourne City FC, 34 for Sydney FC and 25 for Wellington Phoenix.
He also holds European experience as he has played multiple seasons for Danish Super League club Brøndby and Hungarian NB1 side Haladas FC. The Australia international had joined ATK from Wellington Phoenix in June 2019 along with Roy Krishna. Since then he has appeared in 18 games and scored 7 goals. With an extension agreed, he will continue to be ATKMB’s number 9 for one more season.
- Tiri (Centre Back, Signed from Jamshedpur FC)
Jose Luis Espinosa Arroyo, popularly known as ‘Tiri’ was a household name between the Jamshedpur FC fans for last few seasons. The 29-year-old had started his journey from the academy of Cadiz. He has already served ATK during two different stints during their partnership with Atletico de Madrid. During that, Tiri has played 34 games for ATK and he was also a part of the squad that won ISL in 2016.
Tiri returned to Indian top flight in 2017 joining Jamshedpur FC. He captained the side and made a total of 48 appearances for them. Now he has returned to ATKMB, before the commencement of the new season as a free agent.
- Carl McHugh (Midfielder, Contract extended)
The Irish midfielder is known for his versatility on the field. He holds the ability to play as a Centre back, Left back and a Midfielder. A graduate from the academy of Reading FC, Carl spent a long time at Motherwell FC, where he was featured in 82 games. His signing with Motherwell gave birth to controversy because he had violated the agreed extension at his previous club, Plymouth Argyle. Despite an injury-prone career, he was named the captain of Motherwell in 2017.
In 2019, he was landed by ATK. His statement “I chose to play in India due to the increasing standard of football here,” made some buzz at that time. After a goalscoring debut, he could only appear in 6 games. An injury forced him to miss the rest of the season. However, gaffer Antonio Habas has shown his belief in the 27-year-old as he has extended his stay for one more season.
- Javi Hernandez (Attacking Midfielder, In a contract)
The Real Madrid academy product has represented their reserves (Real Madrid Castilla) in 34 games at the Segunda Division B. Javi has travelled across Europe to play in the leagues of Sweden, Azerbaijan and Poland. In 2019, ATK had signed him from Polish club KS Cracovia on a two-year-deal. Since then he has been featured in 20 ISL games while scoring twice.
The Spaniard has also represented his nation at the U-19 level. The 31-year-old will serve the last year of his contract with ATKMB in the upcoming season.
- Bradden Inman (Midfielder, Signed from Brisbane Roar)
The 28-year-old has represented Scotland at U-19 and U-21 level. Brad started his academy at English Premier League side Newcastle United. During his 3-year-contract, he was a regular face in the starting lineup of their reserve team. He has also played for the senior team during several friendlies but failed to make a cut for any official game.
He was loaned and later sold to 3rd tier club Crewe Alexandra where he scored 15 goals from 96 matches. In 2019, he moved to Australia, where he played for Brisbane Roar under manager Robbie Fowler. Earlier today, Roar have confirmed that Brad has left the club with a contract from ATK Mohun Bagan in hand.
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