Exclusive: Tug-of-war between ISL clubs to sign Aniket Jadhav

by Ali Shibil Roshan June 15, 2018

He was part of India’s U-17 squad that competed in the FIFA U-17 World Cup

The season, 2017-18 was eventful for Indian Football fans. The U-17 team made history, participating in the FIFA U-17 World Cup, and made the country proud. They were unable to register a victory, but the way they performed was attractive. And the way they inspired the nation was tremendous.

However, bowing out of the tournament didn’t stop them. AIFF decided to give the young colts more exposure and they became a part of the Indian Arrows project. They competed against the superior sides in the I-League. They didn’t clinch the trophy but delivered the audience attractive football, that was promising and enthralling.

ISL clubs have set their sights firm on Indian Arrows’ players and are relentlessly trying to lure their services. Dheeraj Singh, who was part of their squad until the end of 2017, has joined Kerala Blasters. Anwar Ali, who was impressive for India U-17 in the FIFA World Cup, has joined Mumbai City FC on a record-breaking deal.

According to our sources, there was a race between ISL clubs to sign Aniket Jadhav from Indian Arrows. Aniket, who performed decently for India U-17 and Indian Arrows, had received offers from Pune City FC, Northeast United FC and Jamshedpur FC.

Aniket Jadhav in action against USA in the FIFA U-17 World Cup. Photo Courtesy – Sify.com

However, Jamshedpur FC have managed to lure the services of Aniket Jadhav from Indian Arrows. The deal is said to be at the final stages, FootballCounter sources confirm.

This would be a record-breaking transfer deal, which would see the involvement of a record-breaking 49 lakhs. It is also reliably understood that the deal span is 2 years.

Currently, AIFF and Jamshedpur FC are in final negotiations regarding the contract Aniket penned with the former last year. FootballCounter will keep you updated with the progress.

Aniket Jadhav is a talented attacker and moving to Jamshedpur FC will only better him. The pacy, left-footed attacker can ply his trade on a multitude of positions and will be an asset for Jamshedpur FC.

He is adept at exploiting the defensive frailties, and Aniket, who represented the nation at the FC Bayern Youth Cup in 2014, is determined to make a mark in the ISL.

He, who rubbed shoulders with the world’s best in the U-17 World Cup, displayed a string of impressive performances for India Arrows. He will be keen to replicate the same for Jamshedpur FC in the ISL, where he will have to face robust and sturdy opponents.

Aniket will be keen to prove his mettle in the star-studded Indian Super League Photo Courtesy – hindustantimes.com

This move seems to indicate that football in India has a bright future.  Aniket and Co. triggered a revolution when they participated in the FIFA World Cup, and the impact it had was massive.

It stirred the situation India was in and inspired millions across India to take football as a profession. Now, the exponential growth in the wages and salaries, as in the case of Aniket, bespeak the change that Indian Football has undergone in the last year.