ISL 2020-21: SC East Bengal looking to bring in three ATK Mohun Bagan players in January

According to reports from multiple news outlets, SC East Bengal are looking to bring in goalkeeper Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem from ATK Mohun Bagan on loan for the remainder of the season. In what is an unusual turn of events, the Red and Golds have turned towards their bitter rivals for players amidst a terrible start to their debut Indian Super League (ISL) campaign. They have played six games so far and are bottom of the table with just two points to show for their efforts.

Rumours are also circulating that they are measuring up moves for two other Mariners, Ankit Mukherjee and Salam Ranjan Singh, as well as a few others from various clubs in the ISL. While Dheeraj is a part of the ATK Mohun Bagan entourage, the remaining two aren’t registered with the league but are part of their reserve squad.

https://twitter.com/sc_eastbengal/status/1341753941621661697

20-year-old Dheeraj was a crucial part of the Indian U-17 team that played in the World Cup in 2017. He then played a season in the I-League for Indian Arrows before being picked up by Kerala Blasters in 2018. After a promising 2018-19 campaign where he turned out 13 times for the Blasters, he was signed by the erstwhile ATK.

Having been retained in the ATK Mohun Bagan squad following their merger, the youngster has had a tough time breaking into the first team ahead of senior goalkeeper Arindam Bhattacharjee. Therefore, a loan move might just suit all parties in this situation.

As far as the others are concerned, Ankit is a right back who joined ATK from Mohammedan Sporting in 2018 and has featured intermittently in the ISL in the past two seasons. Salam, on the other hand, was an East Bengal player between 2017 and 2019 before he joined ATK. He has also played for Bengaluru FC and was a part of their 2015-16 I-League winning side.