Indian Football Transfers: I-League club Mohun Bagan sign Nongdamba Naorem from Kerala Blasters B

I-League club Mohun Bagan has signed Kerala Blasters B player Nongdamba Naorem for the 2019-20 season of the I-League. The 19-year-old is most notably known for his solo goal against Shillong Lajong in the 2017-18 season of the I-League, wherein he dribbled past five defenders to score for Indian Arrows.

Mohun Bagan unveiled the new signing by redirecting the fans and well-wishers from their social media accounts to their Youtube channel. Therein, they played the clip of Nongdamba Naorem scoring the aforementioned goal and made the official announcement.

Mohun Bagan used a similar tactic to announce their latest foreign striker Salva Chamorro, as well. Salva played for Villareal B and Barcelona B in the lower rungs of Spanish football before making his way to India.

Naorem represented Kerala Blasters B in the I-League Second Division, where he scored one goal in six appearances. The ISL franchise's reserve team finished third in Group B behind Ozone FC and Fateh Hyderabad.

Naorem was a part of the Minerva Punjab U-17 team that defeated India's U-17 World Cup bound team. The manager of that time, Luis Norton de Matos, selected him in the last moment alongside three other players to represent the country in FIFA's biennial extravaganza.

In a friendly match against Chile U-17 team in Mexico, Naorem scored the equalizer for India as the Blue Colts drew with the South American nation. At the FIFA U-17 World Cup, he played in all the three group stage matches- as a substitute against USA and Colombia and, as a regular against Ghana.

Minerva Punjab loaned Naorem to Indian Arrows for the 2017-18 season of the I-League, where he made 11 appearances and scored one goal. He played mainly in the left wing and won fouls in crucial areas as the defenders found it difficult to mark him.

Naorem's trickery and dribbling skills will be a huge bonus for Mohun Bagan's new coach Kibu Vicuna, who is building the squad from scratch. They finished sixth in the I-League last season and would like to forget their disappointing performance.