Mid-term transfers see flurry of changes

Ever since the inception of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) in 2007, the competition’s mid-term transfer window has seen hardly any use from participating clubs.

However, with certain teams aiming for the title while others try to avoid relegation, this time around the clubs are treating the mid-term transfer widow as their highest priority in a bid to cover their weak points ahead of the league’s second phase.

In what was a first for the professional football league, all 13 participating clubs utilised the mid-term transfer window to strengthen their respective squads. In the 2017-18 season, all the clubs, sans Sheikh Jamal DC, took part in the mid-term transfer window to rope in some 48 players, 14 of which were foreign the other 34 were locals.

Although the number of available footballers (41 in total) for this season is comparatively less than last season, the number of foreign recruits is greater with 11 clubs signing a total of 19.

Falling giants Mohammedan SC and Brother Union, both of whom are in threat of relegation, made the most transfers with seven players each.

Having released Nigeria’s Kingsley Chigozie and Gambia’s Landing Darboe, Mohammedan signed Cameroon’s Jeans Jules Ikaga and Mali’s Souleymane Diabate. Brothers Union recruited Sudan’s James Moga, who was once the league’s top scorer, and three others from South Korea, Egypt and Ivory Cost after releasing all four of their previous foreign players from Brazil, Iraq and Panama.

Interestingly, league leaders Bashundhara Kings also signed a new foreign player, Willis Deon Plaza of Trinidad and Tobago, to sharpen their attacking lineup, which is comprised of Brazil’s Marco Vinicius and Costa Rica’s Daniel Colindres as well as local forwards. Meanwhile, second-placed Abahani snapped up Brazil’s Wellington Priori, who was already featuring for the side in the AFC Cup.

The third-placed Sheikh Russel and fourth-placed Saif SC were also not far behind in the race to sign new players as former champions Sheikh Russel signed up a Ukrainian player, Valerri Hrysher, while Saif SC signed up three new foreign recruits from Rwanda, Brazil and Uzbekistan.

Apart from Mohammedan SC and Brothers, the other clubs like Team BJMC and NoFel SC, who are also under threat of relegation, took part in the transfers to bolster their squads while mid-table teams like Sheikh Jamal, Chittagong Abahani, Rahmatganj MFS and Arambagh KS also brought on fresh foreign legs to ready themselves for the upcoming challenges of the second phase. The second phase was scheduled to begin today but was deferred till May 9 following the advent of cyclone Fani.