Hyderabad FC completes the signing of Vignesh Dakshinamurthy

Hyderabad FC have completed the signing of defender Vignesh Dakshinamurthy from 2022-23 League Shield winners Mumbai City FC, for an undisclosed transfer fee, the club announced on Monday.

The full-back joins Hyderabad FC on a four-year deal ahead of the 2023-24 campaign, becoming the first new signing for the club.

Speaking on the transfer, Hyderabad FC owner Varun Tripuraneni said, “We’ve been tracking Vignesh for a while now and are extremely happy to have him on board. He was an integral part in two Shield winning campaigns and knows the demands at this level. Vignesh will be a long-term asset for Hyderabad FC and we believe he will add a lot of strength to our team in the coming seasons.”

An animated Vignesh, after putting pen to paper, said, “I’m very excited to join Hyderabad FC. Over the last few seasons, the club has shown immense faith in young Indian players and I believe this is the best place for the next stage of my career. I’m thankful to the management for showing a lot of faith in me. We have an exciting squad at the club, and I can’t wait to get down to the field and put on the yellow and black jersey.”

A Srirampura-born defender, Vignesh started his career with Ozone FC in Bengaluru but was soon picked up by Mumbai City in 2018, as he made a big step top flight football early in his career.

Vignesh has since turned into one of the best full-backs in the country, growing through the ranks, having made over 50 appearances for the Islanders, on the way to winning the ISL Shield and Trophy double in the 2020-21 season to add to the League Shield last season.

He was also part of Mumbai’s historic campaign in the AFC Champions League in 2022. The versatile defender has been capped by the Indian National Team and was part of the squad that finished runners up in the SAFF Championship in 2018.