‘NOT AS MARQUEE AS MCFC DESIRES’ – Nicolas Anelka is on the move once more as his season with Mumbai City FC draws to a close.

by Tanvir Juneja November 28, 2015

MUMBAI: The 36 year old player-manager Nicolas Anelka has admitted he won’t return to the Indian Super League (ISL) next season, at least in the capacity of a player-manager after his team ended a dismal run at qualifying for the knock-out stages of this year’s ISL as they failed to grab 3 crucial points against Kerala Blasters at their home turf last night. “I don’t think I will come back. You have to speak to the team management,” said the former Chelsea striker when asked if he would return to the ISL for the third season.

The Frenchman was utterly disappointed following his team’s 1-1 draw against Kerala Blasters on Thursday that deprived Mumbai City FC of a semi-final spot in the league. “The way we played, we don’t deserve to be in the semis. We can’t blame anybody. We lacked the desire to win,” a dejected Anelka was quoted as telling a post-match press conference.

The former Arsenal striker had high-flying hopes for boosting MCFC’s stature in the ISL during his 2-year stint with the club but unfortunately for him, this dream might take more than an elite Marquee player who’s being doled out huge sums of money every season from the club to escalate Mumbai City’s footballing repertoire. It only goes to goes to show the frailties of Soccer contracts and the kind of impact results can have in influencing a major player’s loyalty commitments to a club in the long run esp. when the current campaign ends with a blow.

Alas! Anelka’s personal career history holds testament to the fact that the solid forward doesn’t like staying in one place for too long.

As for Mumbai City FC, their fate hangs in the balance as they seek another Marquee prospect in their bid to outclass all competition on their road to ISL glory.