Kolkata: Atletico De Kolkata has so far been one of the most dominant and powerful sides in the Indian Super League. To be precise, they have won the title twice in the three editions of the tournament so far and have been a very consistent outfit.
However, a bad news for the Kolkata’s football crazy fans is that two of their stars- Canadian forward Iain Hume and South African winger Sameehg Doutie, both of whom have played stellar roles in the team’s success might not play for the defending champions in the upcoming edition of the ISL as reports according to Xtratime suggest that the both of them might make a move to the Kerala Blasters.
Iain Hume, in the first edition of the ISL was an important member in the Kerala Blasters line-up and played a crucial role in the ending as runners-up in 2014. In the next season, he was roped in by the inaugural champions- Atletico De Kolkata where he solved their goal-scoring problems by netting 10 goals in the season.
He also played an instrumental role in Atletico’s title win in 2016. The highest goal-scorer in the history of the ISL, Hume is a potent threat to any opposition on any given day and has been one of the most consistent performers in the ISL. His absence from the Kolkata team next season could be a huge blow for them and their chances of a successful title defense in the fourth edition of the competition.
Another star performer for Atletico has been winger Sameehg Doutie, whose runs on the both the right and left flanks has resulted in crucial assists and game changing goals. Sources reveal that both these stars have been offered profitable deals by Kerala Blasters and the talks between them and the franchise has also reached an advance stage.
The franchise co-owned by Sachin Tendulkar has made it twice to the finals of the ISL where, on both the occasions, they were defeated by Atletico De Kolkata. However, all eyes would now be on the Kolkata franchise and it would be intriguing to see as to what their next move in this context is as although they have some good quality foreign players in their team, the loss of both Hume and Doutie could have a say in their performance next season.