Sreenidi Deccan sign Congolese midfielder Dua Stanislas Ankira

I-League club Sreenidi Deccan FC have acquired the services of Congolese midfielder Dua Stanislas Ankira on a free transfer, Sportskeeda understands.

Sreenidi Deccan currently sit atop the I-League 2022-23 table with 19 points from nine matches. They have a two-point lead over second-placed Real Kashmir, who have a game in hand.

With an Indian Super League (ISL) promotion potentially awaiting them, the Deccan Warriors are determined to retain their place as table-toppers until the end of the season. They are even prepared to strengthen their squad to ensure it.

Sportskeeda has learned that Sreenidi Deccan have signed Ankira on a free transfer. The Congolese midfielder has joined the Vizag outfit on a deal until the end of the 2022-23 season.

Sreenidi are one of only two I-League clubs that started the campaign with fewer than five foreign players in the squad. However, they have now bolstered the department with Ankira's acquisition.

The 28-year-old is a defensive midfielder by trade, but can also operate as a central defender. Carlos Vaz Pinto will thus have a foreign midfielder at his disposal as he looks to lead the Deccan Warriors to I-League glory.

Ankira previously plied his trade for Morocco's Botola Pro League outfit Difaa El Jadida. However, the midfielder has been without a club since leaving them in August 2021.

It is worth noting that he has nine national team appearances for Congo under his belt. His last appearance for the African side, though, came in a 2-0 loss to Senegal in an international friendly in 2017.

Apart from playing for Difaa El Jadida, Ankira has had spells with three different teams in Congo. He has now decided to move away from Africa for the first time to join Sreenidi Deccan in India.

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Sreenidi Deccan return to I-League action this weekend

I-League table-toppers Sreenidi have not been in action in almost three weeks now. Their last league match was a narrow 1-0 victory over Neroca FC in Manipur on December 21.

Vaz Pinto and Co. are scheduled to return to action in the I-League this weekend. They will lock horns with 10th-placed Mumbai Kenkre FC at home on Saturday, January 7.

The Vizag-based club will then go up against Rajasthan United on Wednesday, January 11. They also have matches against RoundGlass Punjab and Neroca coming up this month.

It remains to be seen when Ankira will make his debut for Sreenidi, having signed a deal with them. He could prove to be important to the club's hopes of winning the I-League title this term.