ISL Transfers: Jeakson Singh lands in Kolkata to complete move to East Bengal

Jeakson Singh arrived in Kolkata on Wednesday night to complete his move to East Bengal after pre-season training with the club in Thailand.

The defensive midfielder will snap his six-year-long stint with Kerala Blasters. The Kochi-based club confirmed his departure on Thursday.

"It's true that I am leaving the club, and I thought like sitting down and sharing my feelings and thoughts. As a footballer our life and career are short. There is short time to exprience a lot of things. After spending many years with the club, now is the good time to say goodbye and find another chapter," said Jeakson in a video message shared by KBFC on YouTube.

Earlier this week, the news came out that the 23-year-old midfielder would move to the Red and Gold brigade.

Jeakson began his career with Minerva Punjab before joining Indian Arrows. He joined back KBFC in 2019, having signed for them a year earlier, after the end of a loan spell with the Indian Arrows.

He was a key player in former KBFC coach Ivan Vukomanovic’s team as a defensive midfielder.

His ability to retrieve the ball and initiate counterattacks made him a mainstay of KBFC before a shoulder injury forced him out of action for six months.

For the Blue Tigers, Jeakson made 17 consecutive appearances from the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers in June 2022 to the King's Cup in Thailand in September 2023.

Jeakson regained his full fitness in February this year and played the last five matches of KBFC in ISL.

The previous season he played 20 ISL matches and excelled in ball retrieval. His 81 per cent passing accuracy also earned him a reputation in Indian football.

Though he still has a year left on his contract with KBFC, East Bengal came after him after their bid to sign Apuia failed as he moved to city rival Mohun Bagan.

With East Bengal looking to rejig their squad in pursuit of improving their performance in the upcoming season, Jeakson will be a vital cog in Carles Cuadrat's set-up.