ISL 2019-20: Top 5 foreigners to watch out for

Modified Oct 11, 2019 13:07 IST

Indian domestic football is back in the discussion once again. The sixth season of the Indian Super League is all set to start from October 20th. All the teams have almost completed their preparations and are done with their signings.

We will see two revamped franchises with new names this time. Delhi Dynamos, burdened with a small local support, have shifted their base to Bhubaneswar this time. The new side will be known as Odisha FC. FC Pune City have been dissolved, and will be replaced by Hyderabad FC.

Like all these years, the large pool of foreigners will be the centre of attention once again. Some glamorous names have left their teams this time, while some switched their allegiance. In this article, we will be discussing five foreigners, who are expected to gain major attention in this season's ISL.

#5 Roy Krishna (ATK)

The Fijian national football team captain is a newcomer in this league. Having spent a large part of his career in New Zealand and Australia, Roy Krishna will be coming with a lot of experience in his kitty. Krishna began his professional career at Fijian club Labasa FC. He then joined New Zealand's Championship side Waitakere United. He had the chance to go and venture out in Europe but he didn’t as he was learning English then.

Krishna scored 55 goals in 75 matches for Waitakere. After a short spell with Auckland City, Krishna signed for A-League side Wellington Phoenix and spent five years there before signing a one-year deal with ATK.

The 32-year-old has already started showing the glimpses of his talent in pre-season and has scored four goals already. He is going to be the main striker for ATK with Edu Garcia beside him.

#4 Lucian Goian (Chennaiyin FC)

After serving Mumbai City for three years, Lucian Goian finally found life elsewhere and signed for two-time ISL champions Chennaiyin FC. No doubt, his signing will be an added boost for a side that finished last on the table last season and conceded the most goals.Goian had helped Mumbai City to reach the semi-finals for the first time in 2016 before becoming the captain of the side in the 2017-18 season. Mumbai went on an unbeaten run of 10 matches last season, and Goian was one of the main factors behind that.

Chennaiyin have retained their coach John Gregory, despite their poor result last season. And Gregory wasted no time and signed his favourite players, with Goian being one of them. One can be sure that the Romanian will plug the holes in Chennaiyin's defence this time.

#3 Ferran Corominas (FC Goa)

For the most part of last season, whenever the debate of who being the best striker in the ISL came up, Ferran Corominas' name appeared on top every time. The Spaniard is the highest goalscorer in ISL history, with an astonishing 34 goals in 40 matches, breaking the record of Iain Hume on the way. He is also the highest goalscorer for his club, with Corominas scoring five more goals in the Super Cup campaign.

He is no new face in this league, and being the top scorer for the last two seasons, Corominas will again be a vital player this season. But it remains to be seen if he can continue his goalscoring exploits this season.

#2 Bartholomew Ogbeche (Kerala Blasters)

Only few players have managed to make their debut season sensational and Bartholomew Ogbeche is certainly one of them. Wearing the NorthEast United jersey, Ogbeche has scored for his club on a regular basis and helped them reach the semi-finals for the first time last season.

Like coach Eelco Schattorie, Ogbeche also switched his allegiance to Kerala Blasters this time. Within a small period, he has become an instant favourite among the fans. His name was regularly chanted by the supporters inside the stadium.

Having spent some time at Paris Saint-Germain, Ogbeche knows how to convert half-chances into goals. He did it several times with NorthEast United and is expected to replicate the same form with Kerala this time.

#1 Asamoah Gyan (NorthEast United)

When NorthEast United announced his signing last month, the news spread like wildfire. Nobody thought something like this could happen and there were no prior rumours. NorthEast United made it possible, and it is definitely one of the biggest signings in Indian football in recent times.

Asamoah Gyan is nothing short of a legend in his country, Ghana. He represented his nation in four World Cups and is the only African player to score four goals in the mega event. He is the all-time leading goalscorer for Ghana with 51 goals to his name. He has played in top clubs of different countries, namely Udinese, Rennes, Sunderland, Shanghai SIPG and Al-Ain.

Wherever he has gone, he has flooded the league with goals. He is a prolific striker who is best known for his wizardry inside the box. No doubt that the defenders will have to endure torrid times in their attempts to deny Gyan from scoring.

Edited by Samya Majumdar