ATK Mohun Bagan signs veteran goalkeeper Subrata Paul on loan
ATK Mohun Bagan has added experience to their ranks with the signing of Subrata Paul as the Hyderabad goalkeeper has joined the Mariners on a loan deal that will see him play for the Kolkata-based club till the end of the 2021-22 Indian Super League season.
The club announced the signing on its social media channels by stating:
“We are delighted to have Subrata Paul who has joined on loan from Hyderabad FC for the rest of the season.”
With the Nizams’ head coach Manolo Marquez trusting Laxmikant Kattimani with the goalkeeping role, Paul has not made a single appearance this season. Having said that, he could turn out to be a clever acquisition for the Mariners.
Juan Ferrando’s first-choice goalkeeper Amrinder Singh has not been in a particularly decent run of form conceding 19 goals in 11 matches keeping only two clean sheets in the process. Reserve goalkeeper Avilash Paul lacks experience having made only a handful of appearances in this tournament and is out with a long-term injury as per the quotes from the ATK Mohun Bagan head coach’s pre-match press conference.
Paul will be donning the Green and Maroons nearly eighteen years after making his professional debut. A product of the Tata Football Academy, the 35-year-old got his first break in football in 2004 when he was offered a contract by the erstwhile Mohun Bagan.
The West Bengal lad played three seasons for the Mariners before joining their arch-rivals East Bengal in 2007. In his career which spans across incredible eighteen years, Paul has represented twelve teams, one of them being an overseas club.
Danish club Vestsjaelland signed the custodian in 2014, making him the first Indian goalkeeper and the fourth Indian footballer to sign a professional contract with a foreign club. ‘Spiderman’, as he is affectionately called for his sharp reflexes, has also been a part of the Indian Super League since its inception.
He spent the first two seasons at Mumbai City before signing for NorthEast United. Paul has also represented Jamshedpur, East Bengal, and Hyderabad in this competition. He made 10 appearances in the last season, six for his parent club Hyderabad and four for Kolkata giants East Bengal after joining the Red and Golds on loan for the second half of the season.
Having made over 200 professional appearances and earned 67 caps whilst representing the nation, Paul will bring his enormous wealth of experience that could be beneficial for the Mariners as they continue their title surge.