Kolkata: Having lost a large number of players from it’s current roster to the Indian Super League, Shillong Lajong F.C. today announced the signing of six foreign stars for the upcoming season of the I-League.
The new recruits are the center forward duo of Saihou CH Jagne and Abdoulaye Koffi, midfielders Aiman Al-Hagri and Daniel Odafin and defenders Lawrence Doe and Oh Juho.
The club that finished fifth in last year’s I-League have called upon many youth players from their academy to fill the void left by their former players that participated in the ISL domestic draft. The signing of these foreign stars will strengthen the team and bolster their attack up front while also shielding the defense at the same time.
Ivorian Abdoulaye Koffi, who had been plying his trade in Asia for a long time, has played in Egyptian clubs like Grand Hotel FC and El Sharqia Fokhan F.C, where he performed brilliantly. The 25-year old is a goal scoring machine and has won the ‘Top Scorer’ award in the 2010-11 season.
The 30-year old Saihou Jagne is a Swedish-Gambian footballer who played for Indian club Fateh Hyderabad FC in the second division I -League. He has also represented Sweden at the U-17 level and the Gambia senior team.
Liberian defender Lawrence Doe is probably the most notable signing for the Meghalaya based club. He has won numerous accolades in Mali, Oman and Equatorial Guinea. The 30-year old has also represented the Equatorial Guinea national team making 21 appearances for them.
Another signing is the 24-year old Aiman Al -Hagri who is a versatile player and can play as an attacking midfielder or in the wings. An integral part of the Yemen national team, Aiman has already made 19 appearances for his country. He has also won the Bahraini Premiere League and FA Cup with Al-Riffa in 2013-14 season.
Defensive midfielder Daniel Odafin will undoubtedly be a great addition to the club. The 28-year old already has the honour of winning the ‘Best defensive midfielder’ in Lebanese Premier League in the 2013-14 season after helping his club Shabab Al-Sahel reach the finals of both Lebanese FA Cup and Super Cup.
Lastly, the signing of Korean defender Oh Juho, who has played in the various leagues of Korea will add much needed experience to the young team of Lajong. The 6ft two inches tall defender has also played at the U-18 and U-23 level for his country.
For the new I-League season, the number of foreign players to be fielded by each team in the playing XI has been increased to five and therefore teams have now been given the liberty to register six signings. Having signed six foreign players at a go, Shillong has now exhausted it’s foreign quota.
Lajong’s Managing Director, Mr Larsing was quoted as saying, “We are happy to have completed the signing our 6 foreigners for the upcoming I-League.We look forward to an exciting brand of football this season and hope to put up a strong challenge for the I-League.”