ISL 5: ATK Announce signings of Pritam Kotal and Edu Garcia

Two-time Indian Super League (ISL) champions ATK on Saturday announced two new additions Pritam Kotal and Edu Garcia that will bolster their squad when the tournament resumes following the conclusion of the AFC Asian Cup in February next year.

Kotal, who captained Delhi Dynamos this season, will to the Kolkata franchise for his second stint after being part of the title-winning 2016 side. The 25-year-old has great experience of playing in Kolkata and was an integral part of the Mohun Bagan team, which clinched the I-League trophy in the 2014-15 season.

Back to his old club….#AamarBukeyATK #BanglaBrigade pic.twitter.com/tf5Bp9flnY

— ATK (@ATKFC) December 22, 2018

The right-back, in a three and half year deal with the franchise, will reportedly earn more than 1 Crore INR each year during his time at the club. Kotal, for whom, ATK has paid more than Rs 15 Lakh to Delhi, scored once and assisted another in what turned out to be another disappointing campaign for the Dynamos in the ISL.

Garcia, on the other, was part of the Bengaluru FC team that reached the ISL finals last year before his historical transfer to Chinese second-division side Zhejiang Greentown FC.

Bengaluru may have lost that final but Garcia’s impressive performance made him the first ever player to be sold to an overseas club for an undisclosed fee also making Bengaluru the first Indian club to earn revenue by selling a player to a foreign club.

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“The additions made to the squad are positive and we are quite excited to bring the new players on board. We hope that they can deliver and excite the fans through their performances on the pitch. We will begin training after the international break and assess how soon they can be integrated into our main squad. We look forward to a bright start in 2019,” ATK coach Steve Coppell was quoted as saying by Goal.com about the new signings.

Meanwhile, ATK are currently placed sixth in the points standings with 16 from 12 rounds of matches in ISL 5. They have a stop-start season so far with four victories, draws and defeats so far.

While, Kotal’s addition will enable Coppell to play him in the right-back role – a place where ATK has struggled this season – Garcia’s ability to play both in the wings and as a midfielder will help the franchise solve their attacking worries.