Goa signs promising winger Nongdamba Naorem
Goa has signed former Kerala Blasters forward Nongdamba Naorem on a four-year contract until the end of the 2024-25 Indian Super League season.
After signing for the Gaurs, Naorem said
“Today is a big day. I am very happy to sign for one of the biggest clubs in India. It’s a club that I feel is the best fit for me and is one that I have admired for a long time. I am now looking forward to understanding what the coach demands from me and script a new chapter in my life.”
After representing India in the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup, Naorem spent a single season with the Indian Arrows before signing for ISL giants Kerala Blasters.
After playing a few matches for the Blasters reserves in I-League second division, the winger was loaned to Mohun Bagan where he scored 2 goals and provided 5 assists in 16 appearances helping the Mariners lift the I-League title in their last ever season in the league.
Since then, Naorem has made his debut in the ISL for Kerala Blasters but the winger moved to ATK Mohun Bagan in a swap deal that involved young striker Subha Ghosh.
But the medical tests done with ATK Mohun Bagan revealed that the winger is set to spend a long period on the sidelines. The club management filed a complaint to the All India Football Federation which led to the transfer being revoked and both players not featuring for their new sides for the rest of the 2020-21 ISL season.
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The FC Goa Director of Football Ravi Puskur feels that the club’s latest signing adds the much-required attitude and intensity in the Odisha midfield.
He said,
“We’re delighted to secure the services of Nongdamba. He’s a highly technical player and has the directness needed in one on one situations for a player in his position.”
Mr. Puskur further talked about the potential of the young talent and how the club has been tracking him since his exploits at Mohun Bagan.
He continued,
“He caught our eye with his performances for Mohun Bagan in the I-League in the 19/20 season and was unlucky to have his season curtailed by injury last year. We feel that he can develop into a player who fits very well into our system and can become a differential player with a real emphasis on providing the end product.”