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The ISL season 5 is just around the corner and the Indian football supporters cannot wait to see their teams perform again after almost 7 months of no club football. Some fans will be elated to see their favourite players being retained by the club, whereas some will be excited to see the new faces wearing the coveted jerseys.
Since its inception, ISL has been a beacon of hope for Indian football, as the Indian players have got a chance to play with some of the most recognized international players, which in turn have improved their levels.
The likes of Elano, Marcelinho and Iain Hume have lit up the league in recent seasons, giving the supporters a lot to cheer about.
In this list, we look at the top 6 overseas players who could have a similar impact to their predecessors and ink their name into the Indian history books:
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#6 Everton Santos (Atletico de Kolkata)
Everton Santos had a good spell last year with Mumbai City FC. The 31-year-old Brazilian was involved in a total of 11 goals for the Mumbai team, scoring 6 and creating another 5. The former PSG employee will now be seen in the famous red and white stripes of Atletico de Kolkata this season.
The two time ISL champions had a forgetful season last year with their worst ever finish ever (9th). ATK have done some good business in the transfer window in terms of overseas players as they have parted ways with all their foreign faces from last season and will be seen with a fresh set of overseas players.
#5 Kalu Uche (Atletico de Kolkata)
Another transfer involving the Kolkata franchise was of Kalu Uche. The Nigerian striker was one of last season's best performers. However, his former side Delhi Dynamos could much from his sensational return of 13 goals from just 15 appearances. The capital team could not qualify for the playoffs and had to settle for an 8th placed finish.
The 35-year-old veteran comes with an experience of a couple of seasons in the ISL, having represented both Delhi and Pune before. Despite having played in just 2 seasons of the ISL, Uche is already on 6th in the list of all-time top scorers and could prove to be an absolute bargain for Kolkata.
#4 Matej Poplatnik (Kerala Blasters)
Kerala Blasters have signed Slovenian Matej Poplatnik to bolster their attacking options this season. Matej is certainly a new name for the Indian football lovers but Slovenian striker has vast amounts of experience under his belt. The 26-year-old has spent most of his footballing career in his homeland Slovenia, barring a short spell in Bulgaria.
The striker scored 46 goals from just 64 appearances for his former employees, Triglav Kranj. He will look to fill the shoes of Dimitar Berbatov and Guðjón Baldvinsson who failed to keep the Kerala supporters on the edge of their seats with their goal-scoring abilities last season.
Matej is most likely to partner with the local boy and fans' favourite CK Vineeth.
#3 Manuel Lanzarote (Atletico de Kolkata)
Last year was the first time, two-time ISL Champions ATK did not manage to qualify for the playoffs. It does not come as a surprise as their side managed to find the back of the net only 16 times, a record, beaten only by North East United FC who scored 12 times.
And the club management have not taken this with ease. Kalu Uche and Everton Santos could be just enough to pose the attacking threat their side needed, but the club seems determined to bring home the trophy as they also signed Manuel Lanzarote from FC Goa.
Who does not remember the deadly duo of Lanza and Coro from last season? The attacking combination scored a total of 31 goals for the Gaurs, almost a double of what the entire ATK squad could manage. Of the 31 goals for the duo, Lanzarote had a share of 13 goals, matching the number with Kalu Uche.
Now ATK has an attacking trio of Everton, Kalu Uche and Lanzarote with a total of 32 goals and 13 assists on their name. Certainly a 'Triple Trouble' for their opponents.
#2 Iain Hume (FC Pune City)
This was certainly one of the most talked about transfers of the season. The ISL legend and the all-time top-scorer, Iain Hume decided to part ways with Kerala Blasters after an initial silence about his future with the club. The Canadian striker will now don the orange-purple combination of FC Pune City.
Hume is still recovering from the injury he endured last season which has kept him out for almost 6 months now. According to the player, he is training hard and expects to make a comeback in the next 6 weeks. The stallions have signed 8 foreign players including Hume and will only be registering him at a later part of the tournament.
With 28 goals to his name, Hume will be desperate put on the shoes to partner with Marcelinho and Alfaro who were retained by Pune.
#1Tim Cahill (Jamshedpur FC)
The biggest transfer news of this season's ISL came just before the deadline when Jamshedpur FC announced the signing of Tim Cahill. The Tata Steel-owned club have signed the 38-year-old Australian legend for the upcoming season.
Last year's newcomers had a decent first season as they managed to finish 5th and only missed a playoff chance in the dying stages of the season.
Tim Cahill is a new face for the ISL but certainly not for the Indian football supporters. Tim Cahill comes with a tremendous experience of having played in the Premier League. He started his senior career at Millwall in England and served Everton during an 8-year spell.
The Australian played 226 times, scoring 56 goals for the Merseysiders. Then he moved across the globe and represented clubs like New York Red Bulls, Shanghai Shenhua and Melbourne City.
He recently had a short spell with Millwall before joining Jamshedpur FC. The fans of the club will be eager to see the Australian in 'The Furnace'.
