ISL 2020-21: Will Enobakhare signing ‘bright’en SC East Bengal’s immediate future?

SC East Bengal have had a rather tumultuous start to their debut Indian Super League (ISL) campaign. After seven matches in the league, they lie second from bottom with just three points. Moreover, with just 5 goals scored in 7 games, their goalscoring form has been abysmal to say the least. Domestic strikers Jeje Lalpekhlua and Balwant Singh have looked out of sorts while their only out and out foreign forward Aaron-Amadi Halloway has struggled with injuries.

https://twitter.com/sc_eastbengal/status/1345264826570993664

All of this has resulted in Robbie Fowler dipping his hands in the transfer market and roping in former Wolves and Coventry City striker Bright Enobakhare. The 22-year-old Nigerian is a Wolves academy graduate and was first promoted to their senior squad during the 2015-16 season. There, he scored his first ever senior goal against Barnet FC in the League Cup.

It was the 2017-18 season when he truly arrived in the Championship. It was Nuno Espirito Santo’s first season as manager and under him, the youngster made 21 appearances in the Championship and scored one goal. Having played an important role in Wolves’ promotion to the Premier League, the next season was slightly anti-climactic for Enobakhare as he was loaned out twice, first to Scottish side Kilmarnock FC and then to Coventry City in League One.

The second half of that season further cemented his credentials as a goalscorer as he scored 6 times in 18 matches for Coventry. He then moved to Wigan Athletic before the 2019-20 season but trained with the U-23s side for most of the campaign. His last spell before joining the Red and Gold side of Kolkata was with Greek side AEK Athens, with whom he mutually terminated his contract.

It is going to be a big challenge for him to come into the side in the middle of the season and make an immediate impact. However, that is exactly what his side needs from him right now. Whether he can make a difference in the remaining 13 games remains to be seen, but SC East Bengal fans would be pleased that the club is at least trying to address the deficiencies in the squad proactively.