Mumbai City FC announce squad for 2023-24 ISL: El Khayati returns to the fold

by Chittu Shetty September 23, 2023

Mumbai City FC is gearing up for the 2023-24 Indian Super League (ISL) season with the exciting return of Nasser El Khayati into the 27-member squad

Mumbai City FC are all set to kick off their league title defense and have named a 27-member squad to represent the Islanders in the 2023-24 Indian Super League. In a not-so-surprising twist, the club has managed to include the attacking midfielder Nasser El Khayati in their squad despite earlier constraints.

Des Buckingham’s side set the stage ablaze last season, breaking as many as 17 all-time ISL records, en route to winning the League Winners’ Shield in 18 games, with two rounds to spare. The Islanders will come in to the new ISL campaign aiming to do what no other club has done before – successfully defend the ISL League Winners Shield. 

Last season’s ISL Player of the Season and AIFF Men’s Player of the Year, Lallianzuala Chhangte, will aim to repeat his exploits as he features in the Islanders’ squad alongside the likes of Jorge Pereyra Díaz, Bipin Singh and Vikram Partap Singh in attack. Having won the ISL Shield for two seasons in a row, Greg Stewart will aim to add a third consecutive league title to his rich list of accolades.

The likes of Phurba Lachenpa, Rahul Bheke, Rostyn Griffiths, Mehtab Singh and Apuia, who form the core of Des Buckingham’s Mumbai City side, will be supported by a mix of youth and experience in Mohammad Nawaz, Sanjeev Stalin, Halen Nongtdu, Vinit Rai, Valpuia, Gurkirat Singh, Ayush Chhikara and others.
Eight new Islanders – Akash Mishra, Tiri, Yoëll van Nieff, Abdenasser El Khayati, Jayesh Rane, Seilenthang Lotjem, Franklin Nazareth and Nathan Rodrigues – joined the club over the summer and will all feature in their debut ISL campaign with Mumbai City FC. 

El Khayati’s Unexpected Return: Mumbai City had initially signed Nasser El Khayati for the AFC Champions League campaign. Due to the ISL’s limit of six foreign players per club, El Khayati was not part of the Islanders’ ISL plans. However, the ACL allows more flexibility, and Mumbai City FC decided to include him in that roster. A fortunate turn of events occurred when Alberto Noguera suffered an injury during pre-season, paving the way for El Khayati’s return to the Indian Super League.

FULL SQUAD 

Goalkeepers: Phurba Lachenpa, Mohammad Nawaz, Bhaskar Roy, Ahan Prakash 

Defenders: Rahul Bheke, Valpuia, Tiri, Mehtab Singh, Sanjeev Stalin, Rostyn Griffiths, Nathan Rodrigues, Akash Mishra, Halen Nongtdu 

Midfielders: Yoëll van Nieff, Vinit Rai, Jayesh Rane, Apuia Ralte, Franklin Nazareth 

Forwards: Vikram Partap Singh, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Gurkirat Singh, Seilenthang Lotjem, Abdenasser El Khayati, Greg Stewart, Ayush Chhikara, Bipin Singh, Jorge Pereryra Díaz

Mumbai City FC is set to ignite the ISL stage once again, with El Khayati’s return adding another layer of excitement to the squad. The defending champions have their eyes on a historic title defense, and fans can look forward to an action-packed season ahead.

Also Read: Punjab FC Announces Squad for Indian Super league 2023-24

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