Not being able to win the title in the 2022-23 season is a huge disappointment for Kerala Blasters. The club is preparing for the new season by learning from the mistakes of the pre-season. There have been big changes in the team this time. Several players who were in the squad last season are not with us this time. Some have also joined the team.
There is dissatisfaction among a section of fans against the way Kerala Blasters are involved in the transfer market. They point out that while other clubs shock with big moves, the Blasters are not making big moves and the team could be weak this time around. Blasters have mainly sold players including Sahal Abdul Samad which has disappointed the fans.
At the same time, coach Ivan Vukomanovic is fully satisfied with the transfers of Kerala Blasters this season. He says it is common in world football for big players to leave clubs and it happens in every team. Ivan mentioned that if one Sahal leaves, another Sahal will join the team and added that he has full faith in this year’s players.
Earlier, Sahal Abdul Samad left Kerala Blasters by shocking the entire Indian football. It was a move that left fans of the club very disappointed. Sahal left Blasters and joined Mohun Bagan Super Giant, a Kolkata club. It is reported that Mohun Bagan Supergiant, who gave defender Pritam Kotal to Blasters instead of Sahal, also paid Rs 90 lakh as transfer fee to Blasters.
Kerala Blasters FC has acquired a total of six players including one foreign player in the transfer window ahead of the 2023-24 season. Australian player Joshua Sotirio is the new foreign player who joined the team. But Sotirio, who came with high hopes, suffered an injury during pre-season training. It is reported that the player will miss most of the season after undergoing surgery. Because of this, Blasters have started the process of bringing him a replacement.
Apart from Sotirio, Prabir Das, Bikash Singh, Navocha Singh, Pritam Kotal and Lara Sharma have joined Blasters. In this, the young goalkeeper Lara Sharma came to the Yellow Army from Bengaluru on a loan deal.
Kerala Blasters contract extension with eight players is also noteworthy. Greek star Dimitrios Diamantakos is the main character. The Blasters have extended Dimi’s contract until the end of the 2023-24 season, having signed a one-year deal last season. Mohammad Saheef, Mohammad Ayman, Mohammad Azhar, Nihal Sudheesh, Hormipam Ruiva, Karanjit Singh and Sachin Suresh are the other players who have extended their contracts in Kerala Blasters.
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