Mohun Bagan land double transfer coup in Anirudh Thapa & Antonio Habas

MOHUN BAGAN HAVE secured two major signings today, marking some major moves in the transfer market.

Firstly, national team regular Anirudh Thapa, who has been at Chennaiyin FC since 2016, has made the move to the Mariners in one of the biggest transfer deals in Indian football history.

For Thapa, Bagan have reportedly paid a transfer fee of Rs 3 crore, and his annual salary is Rs 3 crores plus benefits.

Thapa is playing a starring role in India's campaign at the Intercontinental Cup right now, where the Blue Tigers remain unbeaten so far. The 25 year old is looked at as one of the brightest talents in the national team.

Apart from that, Mohun Bagna have signed Antonio Habas as their new Technical Director. Habas has previously been the head coach at the club, helming their football team through the 2020-21 season to a second place finish in the top division league. Next season, however, he was replaced by current Bagan head coach Juan Ferrando in the middle of the league campaign.

Given the vast differences in the football philosophies of Ferrando and Habas, it remains to be seen how they work with each other to implement the long term growth vision of the club. The two veteran coaches are expected to have clearly defined areas of work with little overlap; but still many fans saw Habas's appointment as the 133 year old club walking down a familiar old road, since in the past the club hired many veteran coaches as the 'Technical Director' and they played a managerial role that overshadowed even the official head coach.

Get the latest in the world of Sports, Teams, and Players! Free Delivery to your Inbox.