Panaji:
FC Goa
have strengthened their left-back position with the signing of
Aakash Sangwan
from
Chennaiyin FC
on a three-year contract.
Goa had shown interest in the Chennaiyin defender at the start of the season and wanted to bring him to the club when
Manolo Marquez
joined as coach. He was Goa’s top choice, but Chennaiyin were unwilling to discuss any sale.
Even during the January transfer window, Goa made inquiries with Chennaiyin if they were ready to sell the defender, or even get into an exchange of players, only to be told that Sangwan will have to see out his contract with the club, before making a move.
“Sangwan is a good choice for Goa since he is a natural left-back,” a senior official told TOI on Wednesday. “He has been one of the few consistent players at left-back during the last two seasons and will definitely strengthen the team.”
At Goa, coach Manolo has used
Jay Gupta
at left-back for 24 of the 25 matches in the Indian Super league (ISL), while Narayan Das started one game with Jay left on the bench.
Jay, however, is not a natural left-back. His original position is in central defence, but Manolo was forced to use him out of position since there were not too many options available to him.
Saviour Gama
, another left-back option at the club who was promoted from the developmental team in 2020 with
Juan Ferrando
as coach, is now out of contract. He has been told that he is surplus to requirements.
The arrival of 28-year-old Sangwan means Manolo will have to choose from either him or Jay for the left-back position next season. “It’s good to have such strong options for one position,” said another official.
Sangwan has made 34 appearances over two seasons for Chennaiyin in ISL. This season he made 15 appearances, all in the starting XI, and clocked 1,311 minutes. He has two goals this season and five assists during his debut in 2022-23.
Sangwan joined Chennaiyin FC in September 2022 from
Punjab FC
, for whom he made 56 league appearances in total, scoring one goal and providing three assists.
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