Indian Super League side Kerala Blasters have announced the return of goalkeeper Sandip Nandy for the upcoming season. The 42-year-old veteran has been picked up by his former club after he went unsold in the ISL draft in July.
Nandy joins a completely different team than the one he left after last year's ISL. The Yellow Army has undergone a transformation from back to front, with new CEO Varun Tripuraneni pulling the strings from behind the scenes to bring in several popular players and a well-known head coach in Rene Meuelensteen.
The Kerala-based club has been on the lookout for an Indian goalkeeper ever since the conclusion of the ISL draft, Goal understands.The West Bengal-born custodian will now team up with foreign goalkeeper signing Paul Rachubka in the squad for the upcoming season. The signing of Rachubka received mixed reactions from the Blasters faithful but Nandy will now act as an experienced alternative for Meulensteen.
The former Churchill Brothers and Mohun Bagan goalkeeper was the fifth most expensive goalkeeper in last month's ISL draft for Indian players but failed to attract clubs. And now, with more than 15 years of footballing experience under his belt, the veteran returns to the squad of last season's finalists.
Sandip Nandy is a name synonymous with Indian football ever since the early 2000s. Hailing from Bardhaman in West Bengal, Nandy established himself as one of the best goalkeepers in India and has featured for a host of top clubs including East Bengal, Churchill Brothers and Mohun Bagan, during his long career. He has also featured in between the sticks for the India National Team between the years 2004 and 2013.