Bengaluru FC midfielder Suresh Wangjam has extended his stay with the Blues as he sees his future in Bengaluru. The Indian midfielder has signed a five-year deal with the Blues. He has ensured his stay till the end of the 2027-28 season.
Ever since he joined the club, Suresh has grown from strength to strength and therefore, this extension comes as a reward from the management as he has been very solid in the middle of the park. He has all the capabilities to lead this lead in the near future.
The 22-year-old joined the club in 2019 and since then he has made 84 appearances in all competitions for the Blues and has contributed to one assist and three goals. However, his significance is more at the heart of the midfield.
“It was an easy decision for me. This city is my second home, and I started my professional career here, in this club. The fans and the club also really loved me. So I’m really delighted to be here,” Suresh stated on BFC TV after putting pen to paper.
Hailing from Manipur, the youngster was a product of the AIFF Elite Academy and was training for the U-17 World Cup which happened in India back in 2017. He represented India in that showpiece event and later joined the Indian Arrows team to feature in the I-League.
There he impressed the Bengaluru FC club officials and they roped him in ahead of the 2019-20 season. When he debuted for the club many people were surprised to see his composure with the ball.
Reminiscing his early days at the club, Suresh said, “I still remember when I first joined here. It was during the 2019-20 season when we lost in the semifinals. I even gave a penalty (laughs).
“When I joined here, I was just thinking of getting some game time. But I believe I have also done a great job here. At the same time, I have been surrounded by good people, and to be honest, I have really improved on and off the pitch. So I think it’s been a great journey here,” he added.
He has been a mainstay in the BFC midfield for some time now and his progress has not gone unnoticed. He won the AIFF Emerging Player of the Year in the 2020-21 season. Surehs is someone who relishes the opportunity to play for BFC daily. He likes to fight for the balls and gives his all when he is on the pitch.
The youngster now dreams of playing in the top tier of Asian Football which is the Asian Champions League. He believes that the Blues will reach there with hard work and undeterred determination.
“We, as a club, have the dream of playing in the AFC Champions League, which is the biggest competition in Asia. So, yes, we are dreaming of that. But at the same time, we really need to work hard to achieve that goal,” he expressed.
Lastly he expressed his gratitude towards coach Simon Grayson for backing him up even when he was down injured. Suresh got injured in the pre-season ahead of the 2022-23 season. He missed the knockout stages of the Durand and the early part of the ISL. He was thankful to the coach for trusting in his abilities even when the team was going through a challenging phase in the league.
“I’d really like to thank the coach and the coaching staff because, to be honest, at the start of the season, I wasn’t in form. I was injured during the pre-season, so I wasn’t able to pick up my form. But the good part was that the coach trusted me, believed in me, and gave me a lot of chances. I think it was a great decision made by him as well. During that time, we were also losing many games. So, I just want to express my gratitude to him,” the youngster concluded.
