Football
Kolkata giants East Bengal rope in CK Vineeth, Rino Anto
Kolkata football giants East Bengal are on the verge of completing two new signings, The Bridge understands. The century-old club have been in talks with Kerala duo CK Vineeth and Rino Anto for a while now, and if all goes well both of them will put pen to paper in the days to come.
Vineeth had himself revealed that he has been courted by East Bengal along with a few other clubs in the latest episode of Indian Super League’s (ISL) Let’s Football Live on social media platform Instagram. However, it is learnt that the Jamshedpur FC man will sign for the Red and Golds once his current contract ends.
The 31-year-old, who was also Kerala Blasters’ all-time leading goal scorer before Bartholomew Ogbeche came onboard, is one of the most experienced forwards out there. He started his professional career at Chirag United almost a decade back and has turned out for three ISL clubs. However, in the recently concluded season, he could manage just one goal in 10 appearances for Jamshedpur.
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Rino, on the other hand, has been with Bengaluru FC since making the move from Kerala Blasters in 2018. However, the 32-year-old right back never really got a chance to showcase his calibre. He made just one appearance in the ISL last season and hence, did not hesitate when East Bengal came calling.
East Bengal have been on a major signing spree since the I-League season was cut short due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. They have roped in a host of domestic stars and have also signed Indo-Iranian winger Omid Singh. It is understood that they are also in talks with VP Suhair, Eugeneson Lyngdoh, Anil Chawan and others.
With all the noise they are making in the transfer market, speculation is rife that East Bengal will enter the ISL next season. As reported by us, backed by potential investors, they are moving closer to joining the cash-rich league which will be deemed as the top-tier of Indian football and an announcement might not be too far away.
