End of marquee hangover
WISER SPENDING As seasons get longer, clubs are gradually starting to recruit players who can live up to their billing and last the distance
NEW DELHI: Four seasons of the Indian Super League (ISL) may perhaps be too short a time frame to discern its long-term implications for domestic football. What is clear, however, is that franchises have had to make adjustments over the last four years to bring down the cost of being a part of the tournament.
One of the major changes over the years is the gradual decline of the marquee signing.
Any discussion on marquee signings in the ISL brings back memories of the inaugural season when the likes of Alessandro del Piero, David Trezeguet, Robert Pires, et al. arrived on Indian shores much to the euphoria of an Eurocentric urban football fan base in the country.
The gamble of bringing washed-up yesteryear stars paid off in terms of generating interest among fans. However, on the field, most of these famous names came unstuck.
Del Piero and Trezeguet never got going, while Freddie Ljungberg managed less than three hours of football in his brief stay. Luis Garcia started to wear out as the season progressed, eventually being left as an unused substitute in the final.
The only player who lived up to his billing was Brazilian playmaker Elano. The three subsequent seasons have seen clubs slowly moving towards a more cost-effective route, seeking players with lesser standing but with greater ability to deliver on the pitch.
Last season, the number of foreign players allowed in a squad was reduced to eight. This term, it has further come down to seven. As the league tries to reduce its dependence on players from outside the country, franchises can ill-afford the luxury of signing players for purposes of garnering attention.
It is hardly a surprise then that Australian great Tim Cahill is the only big-name signing to have taken place this season.
CONTRASTING SIGNINGS
There is a stark contrast among a number of the players in the rosters of foreign players this season. For instance, Bengaluru forward Miku, who claimed to have had an offer from a club in China at the end of last season, will be aiming for another good season in front of goal to seek greener pastures abroad.
The same perhaps holds true for young Bhutanese forward Chencho Gyeltshen.
On the other hand, the likes of Cahill (Jamshedpur), Dimas Delgado (Bengaluru), Manuel Lanzarote (ATK) and many others are past their prime but still hold high value to their clubs.
With the ISL season getting longer, clubs are likely to continue taking a more pragmatic approach. As Kerala Blasters have realised after last season, bringing globally acclaimed names is well and good, but it is the impact with the boots on that truly counts.