ISL Transfer News: Laxmikant Kattimani Extends Hyderabad FC Stay, Bengaluru FC Sign Promising Youngsters

Laxmikant Kattimani has signed a two-year contract extension with Indian Super League (ISL) champion Hyderabad FC. The 33-year-old had a fairy tale ending to the ISL 2021-22 campaign, where he was also the Hero of the Match in the final. He was almost unbeatable in the penalty shoot-out that eventually won Hyderabad their first-ever trophy.

Kattimani saved four Blasters’ penalties, one of which had to be retaken, and stepped up right when the team needed him. But long before, he established himself as a trusted custodian for Manolo Marquez as he featured in 22 matches for Hyderabad FC and had a save percentage of 72.61.

“I am very happy to sign a new contract here and I am really grateful to the club for their trust in me. We have an incredible group here. We are one big family and I’m sure together we can achieve many more things," said Kattimani after putting pen to paper with the ISL Champions in a deal till the end of the 2023-24 season.

The Spanish coach preferred Kattimani, and the Goan believes that this trust is what made it easy for him to sign the new deal.

“Manolo is a coach that really believed in me since he arrived here at the club and gave me the opportunity and confidence to get back to my best. So definitely he played a big part in me continuing here at the club," added the shot-stopper who earned a well-deserved call-up to the national team.

A two-time I-League winner, a Super Cup winner, and now an ISL Champion, Kattimani was a part of the Blue Tigers that recently secured qualification to the AFC Asian Cup 2023 and is one of the most experienced players in his role in the country.

He has 81 ISL appearances, 42 of them in Yellow and Black, where he registered 14 clean sheets (9 for HFC) and has always been a popular figure in his hometown.

BFC Sign Amrit Gope and Faisal Ali

Bengaluru FC, on Friday, announced that the club had acquired the services of youngsters Amrit Gope and Faisal Ali, on two and three-year deals respectively.

Gope, who most recently turned out for TRAU FC, has signed on a deal that will see him at the club until 2023-24, while former Mohammedan Sporting winger Ali’s deal runs through until the end of the 2024-25 campaign.

Gope, who joined TRAU in 2021, previously turned out for Jamshedpur FC Reserves between 2018 and 2019, making 12 appearances in the 2nd Division I-League.

Ahead of the 2019-20 campaign, the 22-year-old was promoted to the senior team, where he was part of the Red Miners’ Indian Super League squad. Since his move to TRAU, Gope made a further 16 appearances across two seasons in the I-League.

Kolkata-born Ali, meanwhile, started his senior football journey in 2018 with Southern Samity, and transferred to Bhawanipore FC only two years later.

The 23-year-old made the move to Mohammedan SC in 2020, and finished sixth in the 2020-21 I-League season. The following year, Ali was part of the Black Panthers squad that finished runners up at the 2021 Durand Cup, and was on target three times as they finished runners up in the 2021-22 I-League.

The duo, whose signings come as part of the Blues’ continued building of their squad around youngsters, will join a team that has handed contract extensions to Leon Augustine, Namgyal Bhutia, Lara Sharma, Parag Shrivas and Naorem Roshan Singh in recent weeks.

Ali and Gope will join the Blues’ first team in their pre-season training camp, alongside fellow signings Prabir Das and Spanish midfielder Javi Hernandez.

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