ISL 2020-21: Arjun Jayaraj leaves Kerala Blasters on mutual consent

Midfielder Arjun Jayaraj’s hopes of representing Kerala Blasters in the Indian Super League (ISL) have come to a sad end. The club announced that they have mutually parted ways in an official statement on Friday. This comes a little more than a year after the 24-year-old had signed a 3-year contract with the club upon joining from Gokulam Kerala.

The Malappuram-born midfielder had suffered an ankle injury at the beginning of the 2019-20 season and has not made even a single appearance for the Tuskers. Earlier in June, he had expressed hope that he would come back stronger from the injury and make the attacking midfield position his own under new head coach Kibu Vicuna. However, that was not to be and he will now have to look for a new club.

https://twitter.com/KeralaBlasters/status/1334879594038534144

With a number of domestic options in midfield like Givson Singh, Sahal Abdul Samad, Jeakson Singh, Rohit Kumar and the likes, the management decided it was best to part ways with him. Sporting Director Karolis Skinkys said in an official statement, “We’d like to express our heartfelt gratitude to Arjun for his professionalism & quality time spent with us. Currently, it’s difficult to expect playing time, especially in his position. We’ll be tracking his progress & wish him the very best.”

https://twitter.com/KeralaBlasters/status/1334750483651563521

While this may come as a huge disappointment to the youngster, there shouldn’t be a lack of suitors for him. Considering the fact that the I-League is going to start in January, he should be able to attract a lot of attention from clubs playing there. The January transfer window may also come as a saviour with a lot of ISL teams struggling with injuries too. But for that, he would have to quickly recapture his 2017-18 form for Gokulam Kerala which brought him to the fore as a hot prospect.