Cavin Lobo and Arnab Mondal in talks to join ATK for the upcoming ISL season

What's the story?

Cavin Lobo and Arnab Mondal, two of East Bengal’s most experienced players are set to join ISL outfits ATK for the upcoming season.

The Sanjiv Goenka owned team is close to securing their services ahead of the preparation for the 2018-19 edition of the cash-rich league.

In case you didn't know...

Defender Arnab Mondal has been playing for the ‘Red and Golds’ since 2012 and has been a regular in the starting XI.

Cavin Lobo is also part of the Kolkata giants from 2012 and even played 13 matches for the side in the recently concluded I-League, where the Khalid Jamil led team finished fourth in the standings.

The heart of the matter

As per various reports, the ATK officials are in advance talks with the two East Bengal players ahead of the next season.

Cavin Lobo and Arnab Mondal both played for ATK in the past, and played vital roles in their title wins in 2014 and 2016 (only Cavin Lobo played in 2016).

With already signing high profile defender John Johnson a few days ago, ATK is leaving no stones unturned to make the next season a successful one for their franchise and overturn the recent string of poor form.

What's next?

ATK will be more than happy to have the likes of these two players on their side, as they can make a huge difference to the squad they are representing.

ATK finished 9th on the table this year in the Indian Super League and also underperformed in the Indian Super Cup, with a quarter-final exit.

With several months left for the ISL to begin, the Kolkata side will get a lot of time to regroup and prepare for the tournament.

Author's take

The inclusion of these two players will be a huge boost for ATK and a big loss for East Bengal!

ATK performed poorly this season; probably their worst till date and the management is taking proper steps to strengthen the squad ahead of the 2018-19 seasons.