Kolkata: The players draft of the Hero ISL 2017 is now over. The teams tried their best to pick the players they targeted. They got a few, missed a few as well. Bengaluru FC though more or less tried to pick the players whom they had in the previous seasons. Mandar Tamhane, the CTO of the club has been an instrumental figure for the club in the last few seasons. Today, www.xtratime.in football correspondent Suman Chakravorty spoke to him to know the plans they have for their first ISL season and their preparations for the AFC Cup.
XT: Firstly, are you satisfied with your picks, as it seemed you went into the draft with a specific intention to pick former BFC players?
Tamhane: We are extremely satisfied with our picks as things went as per what we had planned. We have no complaints at all and we can’t wait to get the team together and begin pre-season.
XT: You picked Abhra Mondal as a goalkeeper. Surprise move?
Tamhane: I don’t think it’s a surprise move at all. We needed a goalkeeper at that point and he was the best option available. He comes in to our team with a lot of experience which is something we were looking for.
XT: You will be having your first pre-season training in Spain ahead of the ISL, that too at the Pinatar Arena. What do you want to say about it?
Tamhane: As per the Press Release.
XT: Now your team is almost ready. Prepared for the AFC Cup?
Tamhane: The team is more or less in place, preparations for the AFC Cup will go on until the 23rd of August and we are looking forward to it.
XT: What do you want to say about your choice of foreigners for this season?
Tamhane: We have announced five foreigners so far of which Johnson and Juanan have been retained from the previous season. Dimas Delgado, Erik Paartalu and Toni Dovale come in with the experience of having consistently played at the highest level and add a lot of quality and value to the team.
XT: Your friend Tathagata Mukherjee too did a great job in the players draft. Will there be any competition this season between the two friends?
Tamhane: There will definitely be fierce competition between our teams on the pitch, as it should be. Off it we continue being good friends and I would like to wish him all the very best for the upcoming season.
XT: You spent the maximum amount of money in the draft. Did that happen out of desperation?
Tamhane: I don’t think we have spent the maximum in the draft per say. We went to the draft with a certain plan and the priority was to build the squad by strengthening certain positions in a structured manner and I think it went as per the plans.
XT: What would be the mission for the season?
Mandar: Our goal at the club has always been to do well on and off the pitch and we will continue to work hard towards it. Every individual in our team is highly motivated and want to excel all the time. This season won’t be any different.