I-League new entrants JSW Sports today made one of the biggest signings of Indian football transfer market as they roped in national team captain Sunil Chhetri.
|Last Updated: Jul 19, 2013, 09:27 PM IST|Source: Bureau
Bangalore: I-League new entrants JSW Sports today made one of the biggest signings of Indian football transfer market as they roped in national team captain Sunil Chhetri.
Chhetri`s signing for JSW Sports, which is launching its club here tomorrow, ends weeks of speculation over his future.
"I met people at JSW a few months ago and the first thing that struck me was the passion behind all the planning. I want to play for a club thats clear about its vision and I saw that in JSW. I know I am coming from a champion team but that works as more motivation here," Chhetri said in a release.
Chhetri had signed a two-year contract with the reserve side of Sporting Clube de Portugal last season before he came on loan to Churchill Brothers towards the fag end of the last I-League season.
He had recently said that he would travel to Portugal and speak to the team management before deciding his future course of action as he was not getting to play there.
On his decision of signing for a club that will be making its I-League debut this season, Chhetri said he did not need any prodding.
"Choosing JSW was not really tough because the people seemed genuine. We need to think long term. We are a young team and we would not want to harbour high hopes. I am not setting any targets but I`m sure we can achieve a lot of things if we stick together," said the 28-year-old striker who has scored 37 goals in 66 appearances for the country.
On the possibility of leading a young side, Chhetri said, "I`m used to taking burdens and I`m going to give everything I am capable of, to this club. We are going to need everyones right from the ball boy to the owners to be behind us at all times and I am sure we can repay their
faith."
Parth Jindal, CEO of the club, said they were delighted with the latest signing.
"For someone of Sunil Chhetri`s calibre to join JSW says a lot about the club. Signing the national team captain is the best possible statement of where we want to take this club. We are very happy to have Sunil on board."
Chhetri is the second national team player that JSW have signed after fellow-striker Robin Singh agreed a deal with the club last week.
PTI
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.