East Bengal rope in 4 Indian players

I-League side East Bengal FC announced the arrival of Sankar Roy, Keegan Pereira, Mohammad Irshad and Girik Khosla on Tuesday.

Keegan Pereira is the only incoming transfer from an Indian Super League side.

The East Bengal signings

Sankar Roy (Goalkeeper)

Sankar Roy for Bengal in the Santosh Trophy.

Last Club : Mohun Bagan.

Sankar Roy, as reported earlier, has penned a two-year deal with the Red and Golds.

Roy spent his initial years in club football at Mohammedan Sporting Club. After a brilliant campaign with the Bengal Santosh Trophy team in the 2016-17 season, he earned a move to Mohun Bagan.

After two seasons at the Mariners, Sankar Roy was expected to play second-fiddle to Arindam Bhattacharya in the newly merged entity ATK Mohun Bagan. East Bengal officials, however, jumped in on the opportunity and roped in the Bengal-based goalkeeper.

Keegan Pereira (Left Back)

Keegan Pereira at NorthEast United.

Last Club : Jamshedpur FC.

Keegan Pereira is one of the most experienced and versatile left-backs in Indian club football.

Pereira started out at Mumbai FC and played for several top division sides like Salgaocar, DSK Shivajians, Bengaluru FC, Mumbai City FC, ATK, NorthEast United and Jamshedpur FC before the deal with East Bengal FC.

Having played just four games for the Red Miners in the Indian Super League 2019/20, Pereira has been deprived of quality game-time in the last few years of his playing career as he looks set to play for East Bengal.

Solid at the back and a threat going forward, Keegan Pereira put in a shift on both ends of the park whenever he was on the pitch! Is he your NEUFC Fans' Defender of the Season?Vote ➡️ (link in bio)#8States1United #StrongerTogetherpic.twitter.com/ksyBAciLeL

— NorthEast United FC (@NEUtdFC) April 13, 2019

Girik Khosla (Forward)

Girik Khosla at Minerva Punjab FC.

Last Club : Minerva Punjab FC.

Girik Khosla rose to prominence in Mumbai football through the youth setup of Mumbai FC.

After impressing the Chandigarh state scouts in the Mumbai youth leagues, Khosla played a key role in leading the team of Chandigarh in Santosh Trophy 2015-16.

Khosla joined Minerva Punjab in the 2016-17 season before playing for NorthEast United for a season. He rejoined Minerva Punjab in the 2019-20 season after failing a Mohun Bagan trial.

Mohammad Irshad (Right Back)

Mohammad Irshad at Gokulam Kerala FC

Last Club : Gokulam Kerala.

Mohammed Irshad was groomed in the Viva Kerala Youth system but was forced to join the Tirur Sports Academy after Viva Kerala shut shop.

After a season with DSK Shivajians U-18, Irshad made his senior team debut with the Shivajians in the 2015-16 I-League. He was part of the Gokulam Kerala side that made its debut in the 2017-18 I-League before rejoining Gokulam after a stint at Minerva Punjab in 2019-20.

Irshad is a versatile defender who generally plays as a right-back but can also play as a centre-back. He will be one of the most useful signings for the Red and Golds if the team management gets his position and role right.

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East Bengal are also in talks with Eugeneson Lyngdoh, Slavisa Stojanovic and Mohammed Rafique.

The Red and Golds are getting ready for the 2019-20 season without any confirmation of the league the Kolkata Giants are set to participate in. There have been reports of East Bengal all set to play in the Indian Super League, however nothing can be deemed official yet.