The transition has begun at ATK Mohun Bagan with the Kolkata side announcing the departure of their most successful Indian Super League striker Roy Krishna earlier on Friday, days after his partner upfront David Williams also made the exit following the end of their contracts. Former FC Goa coach Juan Ferrando took over the reins of the green and maroon brigade midway through the 2021-22 ISL season and this move rings in a sea change in the Mariners camp before they embark on their sojourn in 2022-23 ISL.
ATK Mohun Bagan look to have put their faith in their Indian youngsters to take the club forward post Krishna and Williams' departures. The likes of Liston Colaco and Manvir Singh consolidated their importance in the team with some brilliant performances last season and Ferrando rests assured with the baton being passed to domestic stars. The emergence of a young Kiyan Nassiri gets the Spaniard's vote of confidence, too.
Krishna became an instant hit ever since his arrival in India in 2019. His tally of 36 goals and 18 assists over three ISL seasons, winning the ISL trophy in 2019-20 with the erstwhile ATK speak volumes of the impact he had for the side. While former Mohun Bagan player Darren Caldeira feels the Fijian marksman will be sorely missed, he also opines that ATKMB are moving towards a new era with Indian youngsters taking the mantle.
"Roy Krishna has been a massive player for ATK Mohun Bagan ever since he joined the club, not only for the goals that he has scored but he has been a leader for the team. He has been one of the captains and you can see the relationship he has had with his teammates being so close to them. Every single player in the dressing room has good things to say about Roy. It is going to be a massive loss for ATK Mohun Bagan. But they do have a lot of good Indian youngsters coming in. The likes of Liston (Colaco) and Manvir (Singh), I am sure, have learnt a lot from Roy and have also shown that they can take the responsibility of scoring goals and being lethal upfront," Caldeira told TOI on Friday evening.
ATKMB are desperate to revive their fortunes after a disappointing ISL season, where they were knocked out in the semifinals by current champions Hyderabad FC. Caldeira, who has represented both ATK and Mohun Bagan separately during his playing days, feels there is a lot to look forward to for the green and maroon supporters.
"It is a great time to be an ATK Mohun Bagan fan. Despite losing their first game (in AFC Cup, against I-League champions Gokulam Kerala), they put in some really good performances and won their group in AFC Cup, now progressing into the knockouts. You can see they have completely become a different side under Juan Ferrando, compact defensively but going forward they create a lot more chances and score more. It is an exciting time for the supporters, especially with players like Kiyan Nassiri coming in, etching his name in the history books by scoring that beautiful hat-trick in the derby last season," said Caldeira, who won the 2018 Calcutta Football League with the then Mohun Bagan.
"ATK Mohun Bagan fans are demanding fans. They will want to win trophies. That is what this club is all about. They did not have the best season last time around but I am sure under Juan, with the football they are playing and the kind of players they have on their roster, a lot of good things to follow. They will probably be one of the top-scoring sides next ISL. There are a lot of goals in this side with the young Indian trio of Liston, Manvir and Kiyan taking up the mantle," Caldeira said.
The transition was evident last season when Krishna dominated the attacking statistics for ATKMB in 2020-21 but ranked behind Liston Colaco in 2021-22. Both Krishna and Williams were not even regular starters for the Mariners. Colaco ended up being the top Indian goal scorer last ISL with eight goals, followed by teammate Manvir's six strikes.
During the recently concluded AFC Cup qualifying and group stage last month, Kiyan started in all five matches while Manvir and Liston started in four, post their national duty. Liston also scored four times, including a hat-trick against Bangladesh's Basundhara Kings while Kiyan scored a double against Blue Star in qualifying. With a busy season coming up, ATKMB will hope their attacking prowess remains in safe hands.
