The century-old East Bengal club has been facing hardship since joining the ISL. But this year, the Red and Gold Brigade wants to change this trend with experienced coach Carles Cuadrat at the helm. According to multiple sources, it is heard that East Bengal is looking to sign Indian International Ishan Pandita as their Indian Center Forward.
Reason behind East Bengal’s interest to sign Ishan Pandita:
Analyzing East Bengal’s latest performances, you can see that EB never got a proper Indian Center Forward in the last few years. East Bengal has tried Jeje Lalpekhlua, Semboi Haokip, and Balwant Singh in that position, but everyone failed to deliver according to the requirements. In the striking zone, East Bengal has always missed having an ideal Indian option.
Likewise, this year, East Bengal has only VP Suhair and inexperienced Jestin TK in that position. So, it is a day-light fact that the Torch Bearers are in urgent need of an Indian striker.
Monitoring the transfer market, we can say that Ishan Pandita may be the ideal choice for EB to fulfill the requirement. That’s why East Bengal is looking to secure Pandita’s signature. And more interestingly, East Bengal has been trying to sign Pandita over the last few years but hasn’t succeeded.
Ishan Pandita: Performance in Hero ISL:
The 25-year-old Indian striker spent his initial career in Spain. Later in 2020, Ishan switched to the Indian Super League and signed for FC Goa. In that season, under coach Juan Ferrando, Pandita was used mostly as a super-sub.
Playing for FC Goa, Ishan Pandita has scored four goals in 17 appearances. But, Ishan made an impact whenever he came onto the field.
Next year, Ishan joined Jamshedpur FC under coach Owen Coyle. In Jamshedpur FC, he got more minutes than in FC Goa. However, Ishan scored six goals in 36 appearances but could not perform according to his ability.
Now, Ishan Pandita is a free agent, waiting for his new club and new challenges.
Can Ishan Pandita meet the requirements of Cuadrat’s Indian Striker?
With Ishan Pandita, East Bengal can facilitate Cuadrat’s brand of play and make their squad strong. Carlos relies on his attackers, who can drop deep and help the team in the build-up play. With his smart passing and dribbling qualities, Ishan may perfectly fit in Carlos’s style of football.
Ishan also has a smart eye to find the right spaces at the right time. His skillful play and quality finishing can be effective for East Bengal.
Besides East Bengal, Chennaiyin FC and Kerala Blasters are also in the race to sign Ishan Pandita.
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