ISL Transfer Round-up | Jamshedpur sign CK Vineeth as Kerala sign Samuel Lalmuanpuia
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With most overseas transfers wrapped up, the ISL sides have now focused on securing their domestic front as the season has been scheduled to start from October 20. While Jamshedpur FC have signed veteran CK Vineeth, Kerala Blasters have roped in former Shilong Lajong skipper Samuel Lalmuanpuia.
Jamshedpur could boast of a brilliant forward line core last season where the likes of Pablo Morgado and Tim Cahill plied their trade, apart from the likes of Michael Soosairaj and Pratik Choudhary. However, with them finishing an average fifth for the second consecutive time, they had to lose both the stars.
While they have made their recruitments under new coach Antonio Iriondo, CK Vineeth would definitely come as a big star in the club. The 31-year-old has been on the domestic circuit for long now scoring 53 goals in 203 career appearances and even has seven caps for the Indian national football team.
In ISL, Vineeth has finished runner up with Kerala Blasters, and in I-League he has won two titles (2014, 2016) and two Federation Cups (2015, 2017) with Bengaluru FC. He was also instrumental in Bengaluru FC’s AFC Cup 2016 campaign, where they ended as runners-up.
Kerala Blasters have easily been the most star-studded side ahead of the upcoming season with the kind of recruitment they have done and Samuel would only add the much-craved vibrancy in the midfield. In the likes of Mario Arques and Sergio Cidoncha, the Blasters already have creators and Samuel could be the hard worker fitting within them.
Samuel’s best season has been the 2017-18 campaign but did mellow down a bit in the following season with Shillong Lajong. He was loaned out to Minerva Punjab following that for their AFC Cup campaign, but could only feature thrice. The attacking midfielder has played 65 matches for his boyhood club scoring 13 goals and providing seven assists in the time period.
