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ISL 2020-21: Roy Krishna to stay at ATK-Mohun Bagan

ISL 2020-21: Roy Krishna to stay at ATK-Mohun Bagan
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By

Sagnik

Published: 17 Jun 2020 10:34 AM GMT

Roy Krishna, Indian Super League’s (ISL) highest scorer last season, has committed his future with ATK-Mohun Bagan, having agreed a new contract with the club, The Bridge understands.

Krishna had signed on a one-year deal initially with the Kolkata giants when he had signed last year, but on the back of his performances, ATK-Mohun Bagan were always keen on offering him an improved deal that would see the 32-year-old keep his role in Antonio Lopes Habas’ side.

He arrived in India after a record-breaking season in the A-League with Wellington Phoenix where he scored 19 goals in 27 games. The Fijian was then lured to the ISL by ATK and he did not disappoint in his first season.

Krishna got off the mark with a goal against Hyderabad FC in what was only his second match for ATK, and thereafter, it became a familiar sight. Despite a minor injury problem, he finished with 15 goals, the highest in the league alongside Nerijus Valskis and Bartholomew Ogbeche, and six assists from 21 games. The highlight was when he scored a hattrick against Odisha FC to help ATK seal a playoff berth.

https://twitter.com/ATKFC/status/1221679564146892800

That goal-scoring streak has paid off and even though the speed of his acceleration into the ISL was expected, his high standards prompted figures within the club to speculate that he would be the one to lead the charge at the AFC Cup campaign next season.

Krishna is from Fiji and holds a New Zealand passport but he has roots in India. His ancestors had sailed off to the south-pacific archipelago about 140 years back and signing for ATK was something like a homecoming for him. He has publicly expressed his burning desire to play for the city many times before and by extending his stay with the club, he has quashed all speculations surfacing about him leaving.

Indeed, for quite a few weeks now, the rumour mills have been going on about Krishna and his future destination. There were reports of him stalling ATK-MB’s deal and considering other offers within the ISL. In fact, there were strong links with City Football Group (CFG) backed Mumbai City FC and East Bengal. However, the club itself was always confident that their star forward would stay put.

ATK-MB embark on a new journey come next season, playing as a singular entity in the ISL, and another good run in the league as well as the Asian challenge is what they will be looking at. Securing Roy Krishna, along with other key foreign stars will surely be a big boost for Habas and his team.

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