Chennaiyin signs striker Jobby Justin
Two-time ISL champions Chennaiyin has signed striker Jobby Justin on a two-year deal until the end of the 2022-23 Indian Super League season.
After signing for the Marina Machans, Justin said
“I am really happy to receive an offer from a renowned club like Chennaiyin FC. Being a South Indian, I always wanted to play for a south-based team and when a prestigious club like Chennaiyin FC came calling, it was an easy decision for me,”
The 27-year old is coming back off an ACL injury that kept him out of the entirety of the 2020-21 ISL season as he never made a single appearance for ATK Mohun Bagan before mutually terminating his contract with the club last week.
Chennaiyin owner Vita Dani explained why Justin’s signing is an important one for the club ahead of the new ISL season.
She said,
“Jobby’s signing boosts an area that we were lacking in last season. We are happy to have an Indian player with such attacking intent and I am sure he will fit in seamlessly in our family.”
After starting his professional career with East Bengal in the I-League, Justin scored 2 goals in 8 appearances during his debut season before following it up with 9 goals and a solitary assist in 17 appearances in the next season.
Impressed with his performances in the I-League, ATK signed Justin ahead of the 2019-20 ISL season, and the Kerala-born striker won the league title but failed to get regular game time for the club.
Before putting pen to paper at Chennaiyin, Justin was promised a chance to impress the new head coach Bozidar Bandovic to become a part of the starting XI on a more regular basis.
The former East Bengal striker explained this,
“I have a lot of expectations lined up with this signing and the most important one is being a part of the first team. Another important one will be to shower the club with as many achievements as I can. Finally, I would love to express all my love and gratitude to my family, friends, and most importantly to my fans who stood by me throughout my highs and lows.”
After a tough 2020-21 ISL season for the two-time champions, the Marina Machans are expected to strengthen ahead of the 2021-22 ISL season with big-name signings, and Jobby Justin is a great name to be added to the squad.