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What's the story?
Jamshedpur FC have signed former Tata Football Academy product Sanjay Balmuchu, the club announced on Tuesday. The 26-year-old defender joins last year's debutants from Chennaiyin FC.
In case you didn't know...
Sanjay Balmuchu began his career at the Tata Football Academy in Jamshedpur, before signing his first pro contract with Churchill Brothers. Balmuchu played for Churchill for two years before moving on to fellow I-League sides Mohammedan and then Mohun Bagan.
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The Bihar-born footballer's first stint in Indian Super League came with FC Goa. Balmuchu represented the Gaurs in the 2016 Indian Super League season before signing for fellow ISL side Chennaiyin FC.
Balmuchu is yet to represent India on a senior level.
The heart of the matter
Last year's debutants Jamshedpur FC announced the signing of Sanjay Balmuchu in a press release. The former Tata Football Academy product will sign for his third Indian Super League side in the form of Jamshedpur FC.
After signing his contract, Sanjay said, “Jamshedpur FC is like a boon to the state of Jharkhand and the city of Jamshedpur. Being a local I am extremely happy that I would be dawning the Jamshedpur FC t-shirt and will look to contribute towards the team’s success for the upcoming season.”
The Men of Steel will be keen on reinforcing some key areas of their team for the upcoming Indian Super League season and have signed Balmuchu in order to do so.
The 26-year-old becomes yet another defensive signing for Jamshedpur FC, who will be keen to fill the gap left by the transfer of Anas Edathodika. Balmuchu can play in a deep-lying midfield role as well, an attribute that can come in handy according to Jamshedpur FC CEO Mukul Choudhari.
“He can adapt to many roles in the defensive setup which gives the squad flexibility to rotate during a long season. We are extremely happy to have him back in Jamshedpur and we wish him all the success," Choudhari said.
Balmuchu becomes the fourth defender to join Jamshedpur FC ahead of their latest ISL campaign, after Dhanachandra Singh, Raju Gaikwad, and Pratik Chowdhary. The Tata Steel-owned side have also signed midfielder Michael Soosairaj and goalkeeper Subhashish Rai Chowdhury.
What's next?
Jamshedpur FC did not fare too badly in their debut Indian Super League campaign, as they finished fifth. However, they will now face a tough task in order to maintain that position and even improve on it.
The Men of Steel suffered another blow before their latest campaign as manager Steve Coppell joined fellow ISL side ATK. Jamshedpur FC face a difficult few months now, as they look to rebuild the team from scratch.
