Emami East Bengal unveils powerful, revitalized team for the upcoming season

After reaching the 2023 Durand Cup final, winning the 2024 Kalinga Super Cup and thus returning to the Asian stage after 9 years, Emami East Bengal FC has made some crucial reinforcements to the squad in a bid to win more titles in the upcoming season.

A week before kickstarting the new season with their Durand Cup opener against Indian Air Force, the full Emami East Bengal FC first team squad, led by Head Coach Carles Cuadrat and accompanied by Emami Group Directors Mr Aditya Vardhan Agarwal and Mr Manish Goenka, was presented in front of the media for a Meet & Greet event at the Kolkata Centre for Creativity on Monday, 22nd July.

Addressing the gathering, Mr Aditya Vardhan Agarwal and Mr Manish Goenka highlighted their vision for Emami East Bengal and how it aligns with their dream of taking Emami Group to greater heights. They said, “When we came aboard as East Bengal’s investor in 2022, we promised to the club and the fans that we would leave no stone unturned to bring back the days of glory. While the Super Cup victory was a testament to our hard work and dedication to the club, the upcoming season will be even more important for us with Emami East Bengal qualifying for the AFC stage. Keeping the long season in mind, we have tried to forge a squad that can challenge for multiple titles. At the same time, we are working steadfastly and wholeheartedly to develop young talents so that we can contribute more players to the Indian football in the coming days.”

Emami East Bengal showed their intent of building a strong squad from the start of this summer transfer window, signing last ISL’s Golden Boot winner Dimitrios Diamanatakos, last ISL’s top assist- provider Madih Talal, last Durand Cup’s Golden Boot Winner David Lalhlansanga, India U-23 full- back Mark Zothanpuia, seasoned goalkeeper Debjit Majumder, talented full-back Provat Lakra and most recently Indian national team midfielder Jeakson Singh.

Along with these new additions, Emami East Bengal also handed contract extensions to the top performers from the previous season in a bid to strengthen their core. The likes of captain Cleiton Silva, Saul Crespo, Hijazi Maher, Nishu Kumar and Mohamad Rakip contributed heavily to the Red and Gold Brigade’s Kalinga Super Cup triumph earlier this year and have adapted well to the honor and pressure of representing a historic club like East Bengal.