Kerala Blasters on Saturday announced the signing of Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem, who made a cracker of an impression during the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in October last year.
Dheeraj Singh, who hails from Manipur, was one of the most talked about players in the FIFA U-17 World Cup. After a successful stint in the U-17 World Cup, Dheeraj was sought after by various clubs from India and Europe as well. Motherwell FC from the Scottish League were looking to sign Dheeraj Singh. However, the work permit issue denied the player the opportunity.
Dheeraj Singh, who was with the I-League side Indian Arrows earlier, went on to train with English Premier League club Bournemouth FC after his contract expired. Current Kerala Blaster head coach Daivd James had made the arrangements for the young goalkeeper to train with Bournemouth. The opportunity proved to be a fulfilling experience for Dheeraj.
Before training with the Premier League club, Dheeraj had briefly trained with the Kerala Blasters team. He was seen wearing the Blasters' yellow jersey when the 2017-2018 season of Indian Super League was going on.
On joining Kerala Blasters, Dheeraj said he was delighted to sign for the team. “I had an opportunity to train with the club in January before traveling to the UK. I am really excited to work under David James and play in front of the best fans in the country.“
David James too expressed his pleasure at having Dheeraj in the team. “I am delighted that Dheeraj has joined us. He has shown tremendous ability and talent and will be a great addition to the squad. I was in touch with the goal keeping coaches while he was training at Bournemouth FC and the stint there should give him enormous amount of confidence. I am sure Dheeraj will do extremely well for Kerala Blasters and hopefully go on to represent the senior national team soon.”
Varun Tripuraneni, CEO of Kerala Blasters, was also pleased after signing Dheeraj. “He is an exciting young talent and with David James at the helm, Dheeraj is under great hands. We have a good young squad shaping up for next season and seasons ahead and Dheeraj will play an important role as we build the squad for the future.”