Indian Super League is months away but clubs have gradually started strengthening their rosters for the upcoming season. Therefore according to a report on Goal, Bengaluru FC are all set to rope in Kerala Blasters’ midfielder Rohit Kumar.
Rohit who joined the Blasters last season from Hyderabad FC signed a long term contract with the Yellow Army but after the first year, both the parties have decided to mutually terminate the contract. Hence the 24-year-old midfielder is now heading towards Bengaluru FC.
Rohit Kumar only made 11 appearances in the ISL last season as he was never a regular starter under Kibu Vicuna or even after the Spaniard’s dismissal. In those matches, the midfielder registered 17 tackles, eight interceptions, four clearances and five blocks.
After starting his professional career with now-defunct DSK Shivajians in the 2016-17 season, the youngster moved to greener pastures at ISL side FC Pune City. He stayed with the Stallions for two years and then the operations were stopped and he along with others shifted to Hyderabad FC. Rohit plied his trade for the Nizams for a single season before joining the Blasters last time out.
Both Kerala Blasters and Bengaluru FC had shambolic seasons last time out. The Blasters finished second last in the league only ahead of Odisha FC as they registered just 17 points winning only three matches. On the other hand, Bengaluru FC had their worst season in club history where they ended up with 22 points in the seventh position, nine points off the playoffs spots. The most coincidental fact regarding both the clubs is that they both sacked their head coaches midseason.
Kibu Vicuna who came to Kerala with I-League success failed to work his magic on the Yellow Army and finally got sacked. The sacking raised a lot of hue and cry regarding the lack of patience from the Blasters’ management. Meanwhile, the Blues were really struggling under Carles Cuadrat as they played very conservative football, something which the club is not known for. Hence the management relieved the Spanish tactician from his duties and appointed Naushad Moosa as the interim for the rest of the season.
Now the Blues have a new head coach in Marco Pezzaiouli and it will be interesting to see how he will fit Rohit Kumar in the grand scheme of things.