East Bengal completes the quota of foreign signing sessions; Ropes in Jay Gupta from FC Goa

East Bengal has completed the signing of Full-back Jay Gupta of FC Goa for a multi-year deal before the 2025-26 season.

The 23-year-old was on the shortlist of the Kolkata club together with fellow countryman Abishek Singh Tekcham, but when the transfer bid for the last one, the club went for Jay with a fee of more than one crore calls.

«FC Goa has reached an agreement with Oost -Bengal FC for the transfer of defender Jay Gupta, a club record compensation for an Indian player,» the club said in a statement.

«We want to thank Jay for an incredible two years in the Orange and Blue, a journey that saw our back-to-back semi-finals reach and lift the Kalinga Super Cup. I wish you nothing but best for your next chapter, Jay.»

Jay played 41 times for the Gaurs in the Indian Super League and also won the Super Cup under former India coach Manolo Marquez this season. He will be one of the last signing sessions for the club, with transfers from his foreign players who have already been completed.

Moreover, the club has decided to go further from Messi Bouli, Hijazi Maher, Madih Talal and Hector Yute after a forgotten season, where it lost the Super Cup and finished from the play-off race in the Indian Super League.

Instead, Miguel Figueira from Brazil, Mohammed Rashid from Palestine, Hamid Ahadad from Morocco and Kevin Sibille from Argentina became a member of East Bengal and will reach Kolkata later this month.

Figueira will reunite with Oscar Bruzon in East Bengal, including three consecutive Bangladesh Premier League titles with Bashundhara Kings, while Kevin Sibille is expected to replace Maher at the back.

The product of the River Plate Academy from Argentina has joined the side of the Spanish Third Division, Ponferradina.

Rashid, who helped Palestine for the first time last year’s Tour of 16 of the AFC Asian Cup, will add quality in midfield, while Bouli’s replacement, Ahadad, enables an arsenal full of Indian attackers and the 2023-24 Golden Boot winner, Dimitrios Diamantakos.

Indian clubs in the top two layers of men’s football can register a maximum of six foreigners, and the red and gold brigade seems to have completed its selection for the coming season.

Although the Durand Cup team has not yet been announced, most members of the first team will probably be included in the side.