ISL: Evaluating the transfer window for the clubs so far

With the summer transfer window for India football going on, a number of ISL clubs have began making concrete preparations for the upcoming 2022-23 season.

This year, Indian Super League (ISL) teams are also required to compete in the heritage Durand Cup, which begins in August.

The four-foreigner rule has had a massive effect on on-field dynamics last season, increasing the need for talented Indian players. Teams will also have to make tough decisions about their foreigners, with only six spots available.

Let us take a close look at the contingents that the club has amassed so far and assess the needs of the clubs:

1. Chennaiyin FC

Arrivals: Vincy Barreto, Alexander Romario Jesuraj, Monotosh Chakladar, Jiteshwor Singh, Sourav Das, Gurmukh Singh, Mohammed Rafique, Akash Sangwan, Sajal Bag, Fallou Diagne, Vafa Hakhamaneshi, Kwame Karikari, Lijo Francis, Jockson Dhas, Petar Sliskovic

Departures: Vishal Kaith, Deepak Devrani, Davinder Singh, Germanpreet Singh, Jerry Lalrinzuala

With Anirudh Thapa, Chennaiyin always have an essential part of the equation in place for a few more years. Adding a slew of capable foreigners to that, as well as bringing in Thomas Brdaric as the new Head Coach, was a brilliant move.After Bozidar Bandovic's reactive football, his aggressive methodology will be a pleasant change for the Marina Machans.

The former champions appear to be prepared for everything, as they adjusted the squad depth by bringing in adaptable and swift youngsters with the purpose of providing agility to the team in addition to the knowledge already brought by players like Kwame, Rafael and Fallou.

2. ATK Mohun Bagan

Arrivals: Lalrinliana Hnamte, Ashish Rai, Ashique Kuruniyan, Vishal Kaith, Brendan Hamill, Florentin Pogba

Departures: Michael Soosairaj, David Williams, Roy Krishna, Prabir Das, Bidyananda Singh, Subrata Pal, Sk Sahil

ATK Mohun Bagan are expected to spend heavily in this transfer window after losing the ISL Winners' Shield to Jamshedpur FC on the ultimate day and having failed to reach the playoffs final. The Mariners came in third last summer and are desperate for reinforcements, particularly on defence. With a new coach at the helm in Juan Ferrando, they must also sign players who fit the coach's philosophy.

However, having lost standout poaching scorers such as Roy Krishna and David Williams, the Mariners must bring in someone to replicate their goalscoring prowess if the coach wishes to maintain a competitive position in the table.

3. FC Goa

Arrivals: Alvaro Vazquez, Iker Guarrotxena, Arshdeep Singh, Fares Arnout, Marc Valiente

Departures: Alberto Noguera, Jorge Ortiz, Ivan Gonzalez, Alexander Romario Jesuraj, Dylan Fox, Airam Cabrera, Christy Davis

Over the last month, many significant foreigners have abandoned the fight for the Gaurs. Club legend Edu Bedia has meanwhile signed a contract extension and will work alongside Carlos Pena, his former teammate and new boss, to help the team achieve its goals. FC Goa appears to have gone for an overall reconstruction of the team after releasing plenty of talented footballers. Having brought in a full Spanish contingent, they have attempted to align their philosophy with that of the coach.

However, a trusted Indian forward to support Spaniard Alvaro Vasquez appears to be an essential requirement for the Gaurs.

4. Jamshedpur FC

Arrivals: Muhammed Uvais

Departures: Narender Gahlot, Greg Stewart, Mobashir Rahman

Jamshedpur FC scripted history last season when they won the ISL Winners' Shield for the first time. However, the coach who led the team to the championship left immediately after the season ended. Owen Coyle is now the manager of Queen's Park FC in Scotland's second division. Greg Stewart, the ISL 2021-22 Player of the Season, has also left Jamshedpur FC for Mumbai City FC.

As a result, they require new additions to compensate for the talismans' creativity and scoring prowess. Despite having a prolific goal scorer in Ritwik Das, they are in need of a standout forward. With Narender Gahlot's departure, it appears that a young and agile defender is also required.

5. Mumbai City FC

Arrivals: Vinit Rai, Lallianzuala Chhangte (loan move made permanent), Sanjeev Stalin (loan)

Departures: Mohamad Rakip, Igor Angulo, Diego Maurício, Cássio Gabriel, Bradden Inman, Vikram Singh

When Mumbai City announced the departure of six first-team players, it was clear that the team would be rebuilt. Despite finishing fifth in the league, the Islanders finished second in their AFC Champions League group, an unprecedented feat. This season, they have signed proven foreigners from the ISL, which worked extremely well in the 2020/21 campaign. However, if the Islanders are forced to terminate David Williams' contract, the former champions will need a forward with exceptional scoring ability.

6. Bengaluru FC

Arrivals: Javi Hernandez, Prabir Das, Faisal Ali, Amrit Gope, Hira Mondal

Departures: Ashique Kuruniyan, Cleiton Silva, Iman Basafa, Pratik Chaudhari, Sarthak Golui

Under Marco Pezziaouli, Bengaluru played some entertaining football in the back half of the season. However, the club has released the German tactician, and Simon Grayson has already been assigned to succeed him in the ISL 2022-23 season. This will be the Englishman's first overseas assignment, and a lot will be pedalling on his shoulders. Obtaining the players he wants in a new market will be difficult for the 52-year-old. The Blues' main issue last season was their stale and wasteful attack, but it appears that the team has done little to address it. The scoring problems will worsen now that Cleiton Silva has left.

7. Odisha FC

Arrivals: Osama Malik, Carlos Delgado, Narendar Gahlot, Michael Soosairaj, Nikhil Prabhu, Raynier Fernandes (loan), Diego Mauricio, Denechandra Meitei (loan), Saul Crespo

Departures: Javi Hernandez, Victor Mongil, Arshdeep Singh, Gaurav Bora, Daniel Lalhlimpuia

Odisha FC had a tumultuous season, relying heavily on the individual brilliance of their foreigners - Javi Hernandez, Jonathas, and Aridai Cabrera. In preparation for the upcoming season, they have decided to release all three of them, as well as club captains Vinit Rai, Victor Mongil, and Hector Roddas. Josep Gombau has reverted to the club as Head Coach, bringing in familiar faces such as Carlos Delgado and Diego Maricio. He also brought in a slew of young, fast Indian players who are still in contention for the national team. However, in order to concede less, the Kalinga warriors must find an able defender to strengthen the heart of the defence.

8. Hyderabad FC

Arrivals: none

Departures: Asish Rai, Nikhil Prabhu

Last season's champions will look to build on their accomplishment in the coming season. After giving up their crucial full-back Asish Rai, the Nizams decided to make certain that his partner Akash Mishra remained. With a squad full of enthusiastic youngsters, Hyderabad FC will face a challenging task in preserving the momentum of their squad for the ISL 2022-23 season. However, Manuel Marquez appears to have made no changes in the process, as there has been no considerable arrival in the club despite the fact that the transfer window has been open for more than a month.

9. Kerala Blasters

Arrivals: Bryce Miranda, Saurav Mandal

Departures: Alvaro Vazquez, Vincy Barreto, Enes Sipovic, Albino Gomes, Seityasen Singh, Chencho Gyeltshen, Sanjeev Stalin, Denechandra Meitei

The Blasters' 2017–18 campaign was a saga of the rise of the team. However, the team narrowly fell short to attain the ultimate glory. At one point, the Yellow Army were playing the most open football in the league. In the final, they were defeated by Manolo Marquez's Hyderabad FC. Alvaro Vasquez has already left the Kerala Blasters, and finding a replacement striker will be difficult. At the same time, with Enes Sipovic departing, Kerala Blasters will require a capable defensive partner for Marco Leskovic.

10. NorthEast United FC:

Arrivals: Gaurav Bora

Departures: None

Under Khalid Jamil, NorthEast United had a disastrous season in 2021/22. The Highlanders suffered a mortal blow when they lost their best foreigner, Federico Gallego, early on. Retaining VP Suhair and approving other skilled crucial Indian players will be key for such Guwahati-based side in the coming months. The Highlanders must completely redevelop their team.However, given that both the attack and defence were incredibly inefficient and stagnant for the ISL outfit last season, the process must begin with the recruitment of a capable coach, followed by a balanced ensemble of foreigners.

11. East Bengal

Arrivals: Ivan Gonzalez, Mobashir Rahman, Vishnu TM

Departures: Lalrinliana Hnamte, Sourav Das, Mohammed Rafique, Hira Mondal

East Bengal has found themselves in much the same situation as last year. They had already endorsed a few players on pre-contracts but must resolve the issue with their new investors before coming to market. With the Durand Cup and ISL starting early in the 2022-23 season, the club officials has no time to spare in starting the squad-building process if they want a favorable position in the table in the upcoming 9th season.