Pune, Sep 19 (IANS): Pune FC will sport an exciting mix of youth and experience as they gear up for their fifth consecutive season of top-flight football in India.
Having finished runners-up in the previous edition of I-League, incidentally their best ever, Pune FC aim to start afresh under new coach Mike Snoei and a Gen-Next squad.
With the focus on youth, Pune FC have promoted four more youngsters from the Peninsula Pune FC Academy (PPFCA) while adding six new players, including three foreigners to the main squad.
Fifteen players have been retained by Pune FC while midfielder Dhanpal Ganesh returns back after a season-long loan at Pailan Arrows to make up a 26-man squad. However, the club released 11 players, some of whom had served out their respective contracts while some owing to management decision.
Among the new-signings, the three foreign players -- English defender Calum Angus, Australian winger James Meyer (Asian quota) and Equatorial Guinea striker Raul Fabiani -- join playmaker Douhou Pierre to make up the overseas quota.
Calum comes to Pune FC with loads of experience after spending four seasons in Swedish top-flight. Similarly Meyer brings in continental experience having played in the AFC Champions League. Raul, on the other hand, has been a regular goalscorer in the Spanish Segunda division.
Pune-born striker Prakash Thorat adds local flavour. The other new-signing is winger Anthony D’Souza, who joins fellow statemates Velington Rocha and Caitano Costa. The last new signing -- goalkeeper Arup Debnath -- joins Shahinlal Meloly and Amrinder Singh to make it a three goalkeeper line-up.
Graduating into the senior ranks are defenders Longjam Gobin Singh, Salam Ranjan Singh and Yendrembam Denechandra Meitei along with striker Thongkhosiem Haokip, who will be joining fellow graduates Nikhil Kadam and Fanai Lalrempuia and former academy youngster Ganesh.
The inclusion of these four takes the total count of PPFCA and ex-club youth players to nine which includes Amrinder, Ganesh and Rocha. Barring Ganesh and Rocha, the PPFCA graduates have been part of Pune FC’s U-20 I-League winning squads in 2011-12 and 2012-13, respectively.
The technical staff includes new faces in Glen Johnson (goalkeeping coach), Gift Raikhan (former PPFCA U-19 coach).
The following is the entire squad:
Goalkeepers: Arup Debnath, Shahinlal Meloly, Amrinder Singh.
Defenders: Othallo Tabia, Srikanth Ramu, Anas Edathodika, Caitano Costa, Gurjinder Kumar, Calum Angus, Zohmingliana Ralte, Salam Ranjan Singh, Longjam Gobin Singh, Yendrembam Denechandra Meitei.
Midfielders: Venkatesh Shanmugam, Arata Izumi, Douhou Pierre, Dhanpal Ganesh, Mumtaz Akthar, Vellington Rocha, Nikhil Kadam, Fanai Lalrempuia, Anthony D’Souza, Jovel Martins.
Strikers: Raul Fabiani, James Meyer, Prakash Thorat, Thongkhosiem Haokip
Released: Abhra Mondal, Chika Wali, James Moga, Jeje Lalpekhlua, Subash Singh, Karma Tsewang, Sukhwinder Singh, Asim Hassan, Khanthang Paite, Nallappan Mohanraj, Boima Karpeh.
New signings: Prakash Thorat, Anthony D’Souza, Arup Debnath, Raul Fabiani, Calum Angus, James Meyer.
Promoted U-19s: Salam Ranjan Singh, Longjam Gobin Singh, Yendrembam Denechandra Meitei, Thongkhosiem Haokip.