Kolkata: ATK Mohun Bagan head coach Juan Ferrando Saturday said it was not easy to convince high-profile Guinean central defender Florentin Pogba, who is the elder brother of French World Cup winner Paul Pogba.
Florentin is ATKMB’s biggest signing this season. They have been one of the active teams in the transfer market with some top-quality signings ahead of Indian Super League 2022-23 season.
The Mariners’ head coach said the left-footed centre-back was on their wishlist and he was convinced only after learning about the club’s vision.
“After the AFC Cup matches, we started looking for a left-footed centre-back. Florentin’s attributes were ideal for our style of football.
“We have been following him, watching his games for his former team and inquired about him in recent months,” the Spaniard told indiansuperleague.Com.
Last ISL season, ATK Mohun Bagan suffered badly with injury woes to their Spanish centre-back Tiri and Indian defender Sandesh Jhingan, as they managed just six clean sheets from 22 matches.
“He is an aggressive defender who can dominate on the pitch. On top of that, he has the ability to help us build up from the back and also take up attacking positions when required,” the coach said.
“Definitely, it wasn’t easy to get a player like him, who was actively playing and playing well in the French 2nd division. But once we told him about our club’s vision, philosophy and mentality, and discussed our future goals, Florentin was more than convinced,” Ferrando added.
ATK Mohun Bagan has also roped in Indian stars like Ashique Kuruniyan and Asish Rai as they hope to make up for the departure of Roy Krishna and David Williams.
First up, the Mariners will be playing the AFC Cup Inter-Zonal semifinal at home in September.
PTI