Kerala Blasters have made some good signings ahead of upcoming Indian Super League 2017, and former Manchester United star Dimitar Berbatov has to be right up there.
The 36-year-old was a free agent after leaving Greek side PAOK FC in June 2016, and Kerala Blasters pounced to sign the player.
This deal seems to have taken shape with team owner Sachin Tendulkar showing great interest in signing the experienced forward.
Berbatov will bring all his Premier League experience, and having worked previously with the current Kerala Blasters manager Rene Meulensteen, the Bulgarian may not take too much time to settle in. Meulensteen worked closely with Berbatov during their Fulham and Manchester United days.
It remains to be seen if the Meulensteen-Berbatov team-up can bring joy to Kerala Blasters fans with the footballer's creativity and skills, which can bamboozle any defender in the ISL.
The Kerala Blasters officials seem to have done everything in their capacity to rope in Berbatov, who could help them win their maiden title.
Signing such high-profile players can be tricky, and more so when the target tournament is the ISL. However, the deal was made possible when Tendulkar expressed his utmost desire to see Berbatov in the ISL side.
Berbatov's agent Emil Danchev spoke about how Tendulkar made this deal happen.
"The Kerala Blasters boss is crazy about Manchester United and Dimitar Berbatov. Sachin is a big fan of Berbatov personally. Sachin Tendulkar led the talks. He was ready to offer all they can. During negotiations, Sachin took absolutely everything we wanted. For him, it was important to have Dimitar on his team," Danchev was quoted as saying by 24chasa.bg
Berbatov will be aiming for greater things in ISL 2017. Kerala Blasters came close to winning the title in 2014 and 2016: They failed in the finals of the competition both time.
With this major coup by Kerala Blasters, one hopes they will be able to go the full distance in the ISL this season.
