Indian Super League 2020: After busy transfer window, here’s how the teams rate ahead of new season

The seventh season of the Indian Super League will be, to say the least, different.

It will be played at a single venue behind closed doors in Goa because of the coronavirus situation.

Defending champions ATK have merged with Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan and the combined entity will compete in the new edition as ATK Mohun Bagan.

City rivals East Bengal have also joined the fray and have appointed former Liverpool player Robbie Fowler as their manager.

Mumbai City FC may turn up in a lighter tinge of blue but with a much stronger squad after City Football Group have had their say in the transfer market which has been a busy one for most sides.

Over Rs 46 crores were spent by all teams combined in the transfer window that saw some big stars arrive from Australia’s A-League. This was because clubs had to comply with the new squad composition rules that make it mandatory for all teams to have one player from Asian Football Confederation-affiliated countries.

So now teams were allowed to register a minimum of five foreign players and a maximum of seven with one of them being an AFC player,

Newcomers East Bengal have been the busiest, perhaps understandably so, with a late effort to forge a team that can compete in the ISL. Kerala Blasters and Odisha FC have also plunged into the market to improve their squads, as have Jamshedpur FC.

With the transfer season now over, here’s a closer look at the transfer business and the full squads of all eleven teams.

ATK Mohun Bagan

Ins: Subhasish Bose, Tiri, Glan Martins, Sandesh Jhingan, Manvir Singh, Brad Inman, Carl McHugh

Outs: Mandi, Anas Edathodika, John Johnson, Victor Mongil, Debjit Majumder, Anil Chavan, Sehnaj Singh, Balwant Singh, Agus Garcia, John Johnson

Squad strength: 28

Rating: 4 out of 5

Verdict: ATK Mohun Bagan may be a new franchise, but the team can be regarded as defending champions. And accordingly, they have retained most of the players from the ISL winning ATK side. Going into the new season, a settled core is their biggest strength. Quality additions in shape of Sandesh Jhingan, Tiri, Brad Inman and Carl McHugh should only strengthen the team.

The only weakness in the squad is the lack of defenders. ATK Mohun Bagan only have six registered defenders and that’s an area where they may be found out as the season progresses. They have gone for quality over quantity in the transfer market and that comes with both positives and negatives.

Bengaluru FC

Ins: Pratik Chaudhari, Lalthuammawia Ralte, Joe Zoherliana, Wungngayam Muirang, Cleiton Silva, Ajith Kumar, Fran Gonzalez, Kristian Opseth, Lara Sharma, Thoi Singh

Outs: Kevaughn Frater, Rino Anto, Eugeneson Lyngdoh, PS Gill, Nishu Kumar, Nili Perdomo, Manuel Onwu, Sairuat Kima, Kean Lewis, Albert Serran, Aditya Patra, Raphel Augusto, GS Gill

Squad strength: 32

Rating: 4 out of 5

Verdict: Bengaluru FC struggled for goals last season and they seem to have addressed that issue with two foreign additions in attack. Centre-back Albert Serran has left but Fran Gonzalez who starred in Mohun Bagan’s I-League triumph seems to be a good replacement. The rest of the squad is settled and with a shortened pre-season, it will be an advantage for Bengaluru FC.

The only problem is the lack of freshness to their Indian contingent, especially in attack. The likes of Udanta Singh and Ashique Kuruniyan disappointed last season, so can Cuadrat get more out of them this term?

Chennaiyin FC

Ins: Lalchhuanmawia Fanai, Enes Sipovic, Reagen Singh, Fatkhullo Fatkhuloev, Memo, Jakub Sylvestr, Esmael Goncalves, Samik Mitra

Outs: Tondonba Singh, Andre Schembri, Nerijus Valskis, Laldinliana Renthlei, Zohmingliana Ralte, Jeje Lalpekhlua, Sanjiban Ghosh, Dragos Firtulescu, Masih Saighani, Lucian Goian

Squad Strength: 27

Rating: 3 out of 5

Verdict: Chennaiyin have lost some really big names this season and that includes coach Owen Coyle. Top scorer Nerijus Valskis, winger Andre Schembri and full-back Laldinliana Renthlei have left, so have Jeje Lalpekhlua and Lucian Goian.

The replacements look good though and even though Chennaiyin have been good with their recruitment in the past, they still have big boots to fill. On a positive note, Chennaiyin have a good Indian contingent led by Anirudh Thapa, Edwin Vanspaul and Lalianzuala Chhangte. Chennaiyin’s season will depend on how well the new foreign recruits adapt and as of now, that answer to that question is up in the air.

FC Goa

Ins: Redeem Tlang, Ishan Pandita, James Donachie, Phrangki Buam, Alberto Noguera, Ivan Gonzalez, Jorge Ortiz, Sanson Pereira, Igor Angulo, Makan Chote, Devendra Murgaokar

Outs: Hugo Boumous, Jackichand Singh, Manvir Singh, Lalthuammawia Ralte, Kingslee Fernandes, Chinglensana Singh, Amey Ranawade, Lalawmpuia, Ferran Corominas, Murtada Fall, Ahmed Jahouh, Mandar Rao Desai, Carlos Pena

Squad Strength: 29

Rating: 3 out of 5

Verdict: FC Goa’s squad has been ripped apart with several key players following former manager Sergio Lobera to Mumbai City. Their spine from last season is no longer there with Mourtada Fall, Hugo Boumous, Ahmed Jahouh, Mandar Rao Desai, Jackichand Singh and Ferran Corominas all leaving.

New signings like Alberto Noguera, Ivan Gonzalez, Jorge Ortiz and Igor Angulo have the calibre and some of their young Indian recruits like Redeem Tlang, Ishan Pandita and Makan Chote are exciting but Goa would need time to get it all together. With a lack of proper pre-season, Goa may struggle to do that. Going with just six foreign players might also hurt last season’s Shield Winners.

Hyderabad FC

Ins: Halicharan Narzary, Lalawmpuia, Sweden Fernandes, Fran Sandaza, Joel Chianese, Odei Onaindia, Aridane Santana, Lluis Sastre, Chinglensana Singh, Joao Victor, Subrata Paul, Akash Mishra, Nikhil Prabhu

Outs: Keenan Almeida, Bobo, Marcelinho, Abhash Thapa, Kunzung Bhutia, Gani Nigam, Matthew Kilgallon, Kamaljit Singh, Marko Stankovic, Gurtej Singh, Rohit Kumar, Rafa Lopez, Giles Barnes, Robin Singh, Shankar Sampingiraj

Squad Strength: 30

Rating: 2 out of 5

Verdict: Hyderabad FC had a season to forget last season and they could not have asked for a more difficult build-up to the season with coach Albert Roca departing for Barcelona. His sudden exit from the scene seems to have affected their recruitment with Hyderabad only signing six foreign players. Aridane Santana, who starred for Odisha last season, seems to be the only known name on the list. Their Indian contingent, barring Adil Khan doesn’t seem to inspire a lot of confidence too. Once again, it could be a long season for Hyderabad FC.

Jamshedpur FC

Ins: Jackichand Singh, Nicholas Fitzgerald, William Lalnunfela, TP Rehenesh, Peter Hartley, Bhupender Singh, Stephen Eze, Laldinliana Renthlei, Pawan Kumar, Nerijus Valskis, Alex Lima, Ricky Lallawmawma

Outs: CK Vineeth, Sumeet Passi, Memo, Subrata Paul, Bikash Jairu, Md Rafique Ali, Tiri, Farukh Choudhary, Noe Acosta, Robin Gurung, Piti

Squad Strength: 34

Rating: 4 out of 5

Verdict: Jamshedpur FC are among the winners of this transfer window. Apart from bringing in Owen Coyle as their manager, Jamshedpur were able to attract last season’s golden boot winner, Nerijus Valskis and Australian Nick Fitzgerald. In goal, TP Rehenesh has replaced Subrata Paul and Jackichand Singh has been brought in to fill the void left by Farukh Choudhary’s departure.

In midfield, Alex Lima seems to be a quality signing while Peter Hartley and Stephen Eze are certain to add strength to their defence. Jamshedpur also boast a good bunch of young Indian talent to go with quality foreign recruits and the only challenge for Coyle would be to manage a rather bloated squad.

Kerala Blasters

Ins: Yendrembam Denechandra, Costa Nhamoinesu, Gary Hooper, Vicente Gomez, Facundo Pereyra, PS Gill, Puitea, Ayush Adhikari, Sandeep Singh, Rohit Kumar, Ritwik Das, Albino Gomes, Nishu Kumar, Givson Singh, Naorem Singh, Jordan Murray, Bakary Kone

Outs: Sandesh Jhingan, Sabin Raj Kunniyil, Raphael Messi Bouli, TP Rehenesh, Vlatko Drobarov, Samuel Lalmuanpuia, Pritam Singh, Holicharan Narzary, Pragyan Gogoi, Batholomew Ogbeche, Matej Poplatnik, Slavisa Slovanovic, Nikola Krcmarevic, Mohamad Rakip, Mohammed Rafi, Courage Pekuson, Darren Caldeira, Mario Arques, Mustapha, Raju Gaikwad, Gianni Zuiverloon, Abneet Bharti

Squad Strength: 32

Rating: 3 out of 5

Verdict: It’s been a complete overhaul at Kerala Blasters with high profile departures in the shape of Bartholomew Ogbeche, Raphael Messi Bouli, Sandesh Jhingan, Mohammad Rakip and the other foreign players from last season’s squad.

However, it seems the Blasters have done a pretty good job of replacing them. The attacking trio of Facundo Pereyra, Gary Hooper and Jordan Murray seems promising. So do the defensive signings of Bakary Kone and Costa Mhamoinesu. Nishu Kumar has also joined from Bengaluru FC.

The Blasters have done well to keep a large chunk of their promising Indian players at the club with Jeakson Singh, Sahal Abdul Samad, Jessel Carneiro and Rahul KP all staying. However, there’s a bit of imbalance in the squad with the Kerala Blasters squad lacking numbers in defence and having too many in midfield. Coach Kibo Vicuna will have to manage this aspect well.

Mumbai City FC

Ins: Hugo Boumous, Amey Ranawade, Vikram Pratap Singh, Mandar Rao Desai, Mehtab Singh, Mohamad Rakip, Tondonba Singh, Mourtada Fall, Ahmed Jahouh, CY Goddard, Farukh Choudhary, Hernan Santana, Bartholomew Ogbeche, Adam le Fondre, Phurba Lachenpa

Outs: Pratik Choudary, Naorem Singh, Chanso Horam, Surchandra Singh, Mohammad Rafique, Mohamed Larbi, Anwar Ali, Mato Grgic, Paulo Machado, Ravi Kumar, Subhasish Bose, Kunal Sawant, Diego Carlos, Alen Deory, Modou Sougou, Amone Chermiti.

Squad Strength: 28

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Verdict: City Football Group have announced their arrival in Indian football and how. After bringing in Sergio Lobera as head coach, Mumbai City FC have raided his former side FC Goa and pretty much lifted the spine of the team that qualified for the AFC Champions League. Hugo Boumous, Ahmed Jahouh, Mourtada Fall, Mandar Rao Desai and Amey Ranawade have all joined from FC Goa.

Upfront, Mumbai City have signed Ogbeche who has been among the best strikers in the league in the last two season. Adam le Fondre and Cy Goddard are the other two foreign additions who appear to be quite exciting.

Mumbai have also handpicked top Indian talent, signing Farukh Choudhary from Jamshedpur and Vikram Pratap Singh from Indian Arrows. The likes of Rowllin Borges, Raynier Fernandes and Sarthak Golui have all been retained and Mumbai City go into the new season with the best team on paper. Lobera’s only worry might be his reliance on an Indian defence with just one foreign defender in his squad.

NorthEast United

Ins: Wayne Waz, Sanjiban Ghosh, Gurjinder Kumar, Gurmeet, Idrissa Sylla, Dylan Fox, Pragyan Gogoi, Benjamin Lambot, Kwesi Appiah, Rochharzela, Lalkhawpuimmawia, Ashutosh mehta, Suhair PV, Imran Khan, Nabin Rabha, Britto PM, Luis Machado, Khassa Camara, Mashoor Shereef

Outs: Simon Lundevall, Soram Anganba, Reagen Singh, Mislav Komorski, Puitea, Souvik Ghosh, Pawan Kumar, Kai Heerings, Milan Singh, Redeem Tlang, Rupert Nongrum, Andy Keogh, Nikhil Kadam, Martin Chaves, Jose Leudo.

Squad Strength: 28

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Verdict: There has been lot of movement at NorthEast United and their biggest loss has been losing Redeem Tlang to FC Goa.

Among the foreigners, only Federico Gallego has been retained. Dylan Fox and Benjamin Lambot will marshall the defence and have a good track record. Idrissa Sylla, Kwesi Appiah and Luis Machado have been added in attack that is likely to rely on overseas players. Among the Indian players, midfielder Rochharzela is an exciting prospect.

However, the Indian contingent appears to be a bit lightweight in comparison to other teams and that may be a big issue for new manager Gerard Nus. The Highlanders also lack depth in midfield and they will have to extract a lot from young Indian players to compete.

Odisha FC

Ins: Isak Vanlalruatfela, Cole Alexander, Manuel Onwu, Steven Taylor, Jacob Tratt, Marcerlinho, Diego Maurico, Saurabh Meher, Hendry Antonay, Bodo, Kamaljit Singh, Samuel Lalmuanpuia, George D’Souza, Ravi Kumar, Paul Ramfangzauva, Kamalpreet Singh

Outs: Francisco Dorronsoro, Narayan Das, Amit Tudu, Lalchhuanmawia, Martin Guedes, Rana Gharami, Albino Gomes, Bikramjit Singh, Marcos Tebar, Xisco Hernandez, Romeo Fernandes

Squad Strength: 28

Rating: 3 out of 5

Verdict: Odisha have seen an overhaul of their foreign contingent and the new signings seem to be quite good. Former Newcastle United player Steven Taylor will lead the defence and he will have former Sydney FC defender Jacob Tratt for company. Manuel Onwu, who was excellent for Odisha last season, has been retained while Marcelinho has been re-signed from Hyderabad FC. Diego Mauricio is another foreign attacker signed by the club.

South African Cole Alexander is the only midfield foreign recruit and that’s an area where Odisha might struggle. They only have six foreigners on their roster and will bank on a bunch of young Indian players who delivered the goods for them last season. Gaurav Bora, Shubham Sarangi, Jerry Mawihminghthanga, Nadhakumar Sekar and Vinit Rai have all been retained. Odisha’s success this season will depend on how some of their young Indian signings perform.

SC East Bengal

SC East Bengal are a new team in the ISL.

Squad Strength: 36

Rating: 3 out of 5

Verdict: East Bengal have done a fine job of assembling their squad in such a short span of time and their foreign recruits have been brought in from top leagues like the A-League or the Championship (English football’s second-tier). Manager Robbie Fowler seems to have played a key role in bringing Daniel Fox, Scott Neville and Anthony Pilkington to India and he’ll hope they’ll hit the ground running

However, their Indian contingent doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence with players like Jeje Lalpakhlua, Eugeneson Lyngdoh, Balwant Singh, Mohammad Rafique, Sehnaj Singh and CK Vineeth seemingly past their best.

East Bengal have a huge squad and Fowler will have a task on his hand to manage all the players and keep the group happy.