Mumbai: The football journey of Ashutosh Mehta continues, from I-League first-time winner Aizawl FC, to India Super League two-time champion club Atletico de Kolkata. Being a part of title-winning squads raises expectations from team management and fans in a new city. The Mumbai defender, picked by ATK during Sunday’s ISL Indian Players Draft, is aware and ready to perform before a demanding Kolkata audience.
“ATK fans will expect their team to continue winning ISL, so I know what I am stepping into. The pressure is similar to a Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal tie there. Fans do not accept defeat and expect their heroes to win at all costs. You know how Kolkata crowds are,” he said.
The Kolkata club’s decision to pick him this season presents a chance for Ashutosh to make a long-standing dream come true. “Ever since I played in Kolkata for the first time in 2011, I wanted to return for at least one season and play for a big team.” He was with Mumbai FC in 2011 when he scored on debut against Bagan in the I-league at the Salt Lake stadium. “The fans supported Bagan passionately. I wanted them to cheer for me. I hope the stands will be as noisy when I step out at the Salt Lake stadium.”
Joining him at the ISL Kolkata franchise are Eugenson Lyngdoh (ISL draft’s costliest buy at ₹1.1 crore per season), national team striker Robin Singh (₹65 lakh). England’s Terry Sheringham is chief coach.
Taste of success
Ashutosh tasted I-League success with Aizawl FC this season under coach Khalid Jamil. Ironically, the Mizoram club paid for its success by losing its coach and some players to East Bengal, and Mohun Bagan approached him with a lucrative ₹75 lakh offer. For a Mumbai footballer earning ₹5 lakh a season from Aizawl, the money was an added attraction to playing in Kolkata. Ashutosh chose to wait for the ISL draft, and ATK picked him for ₹45 lakh a season. “I lost ₹30 lakh by choosing to play in the ISL and there is no choice of clubs, but I’m glad ATK chose me.” For the first time, I-League and ISL will be held simultaneously by the All India Football Federation (AIFF), so players joining a particular tournament cannot enrol for another.
For the last three seasons, ISL franchise teams like ATK would get contracted players on loan from I-League clubs in exchange for a transfer fee. The Malad resident did not sign for an I-League club after the Aizawl FC contract ended, taking a calculated risk since neither salary nor choice of club was in his control. Seventy-one players who enrolled in the draft for the opportunity to play in the ISL remained unsold, leaving them staring at an uncertain future. I-League clubs whose contract offer they refused will pay less.
For the defender from Mumbai, moving up the ranks in inter-collegiate tournaments (for Thakur College) and junior tournaments (Mumbai FC junior team), the value of an ISL experience was worth the risk. “I was confident of getting picked based on my performance for Aizawl. Leaving Mumbai FC and adjusting to Mizoram took time, but the hard work we did as a group is paying off.” ATK’s recruitment of Indian players was recommended by newly-appointed technical director Ashley Westwood. “It will be an honour to work with Ashley for the first time in the ISL. He was successful in the I-League with Bengaluru FC.”
Ready for pressure
What makes him happy is his mental readiness to handle pressure in Kolkata, and versatility on the pitch. “Two years ago, a big Kolkata club got in touch. I was not ready then psychologically, so I refused. After coach Khalid Jamil moved from Aizawl to East Bengal, the club made me an offer. I would have enjoyed playing in Kolkata. Mohun Bagan came up with a bigger offer, but signing up for the I-league would mean giving up ISL. I will earn less, but gain more in playing under pressure.” ATK is the third ISL franchise for him; he has played two seasons on loan to Mumbai City FC and one with FC Pune City.
Mumbai FC, meanwhile, has been relegated from the I-League, thus shutting a door for him. “I-League needs teams like Mumbai FC to encourage football. I pray the Federation takes them back into the I-League, so that players from Mumbai, like me and others who made their mark, can show their skills.”
