New Journey Starts For Roy
The club’s fans have hailed his arrival as the signing of the season despite ATK adding eight other players to the squad, including former Real Madrid B team defender Agustin Garcia Iniguez
Roy Krishna left for India yesterday to join his teammates at Kolkata-based Indian Soccer League franchise, ATK.
The Vodafone Fijian national football team captain will join the side in time for pre-season training before the ISL season kicks-off on October 20.
Krishna will be housed at the JW Marriott Hotel, Kolkata for the duration of his 12-month contract reportedly worth FJ$1.2 million.
The 31-year-old will be expected to bolster a forward line that only managed 18 goals in 18 matches last season, 11 fewer than winners Bengaluru FC.
The striker’s 19 goals in 27 appearances for the Wellington Phoenix last season were enough to attract the interest of ATK.
The club’s fans have hailed his arrival
as the signing of the season despite ATK adding eight other players to the squad, including former Real Madrid B team defender Agustin Garcia Iniguez.
It has also been viewed as a statement of intent by the two-time champions, who last won the competition in 2016.
Head coach Steve Coppell complained last season that the only thing missing from ATK’s game were goals and Krishna’s signing will be expected to ease those concerns.
They are genuinely starting to believe that the 2019 A-League’s Golden Boot and Johnny Warren Medal winner is the man to take them to the top.
That’s the reason ATK fought for Krishna’s signature.
The Phoenix tried their best to retain the Siberia, Labasa, native. They reportedly offered him “the largest offer that we’ve ever put to a player,” club general manager David Dome told the New Zealand press.
A scholarship for Pacific players in Krishna’s name was also part of the deal, Dome said.
But Krishna rejected the offer in favour of a move to one of the youngest professional leagues in the world, and will become the first Fijian to play in the competition.