I-League 2017: Gokulam Kerala FC set to sign ex-Mohun Bagan star Odafa Okolie?

Star I-League striker Odafa Okolie is said to be on the verge of signing I-League star striker Odafa Okolie, in a bid to haul themselves out of the relegation battle that they are facing in their debut campaign in India’s top tier.

Odafa is a proven talent in the I-League, having played for top clubs like Churchill Brothers and Mohun Bagan earlier in his career. Now at the age of 32, Odafa has been plying his trade in I-League Division II club Southern Samiti in Kolkata.

Debutants Gokulam Kerala have been struggling in the I-League this season, having mustered up only a win and a draw so far this season. To add to that, they are also facing difficulty in their goalscoring department, with their iconic captain Sushanth Mathew failing to inspire them in attack.

In a bid to solve this problem, Gokulam are said to have set their sights on Odafa. The club has already released foreign players like Leo Mbele and Khaled Alsaleh, and are to be looking to rope in Odafa in their place, according to sources.

The Nigerian has been a huge success in the I-League previously, having scored the most number of goals in the league in three consecutive seasons from 2007-08 to 2009-10. He had even won the I-League with Churchill in 2008-09.

He had subsequently gone on to play for Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan and became immensely popular with the local fan base.

The alarm bells are already ringing at Gokulam, as the club is lying second from bottom in the league, having mustered only four points from six matches. To add to that, they have managed to score only three goals so far in the campaign. The addition of a proven striker like Odafa could help them get over their goalscoring woes.