Football: Punjab FC sign defender Likmabam Rakesh on loan for upcoming season

Mohali, Sep 5 (IANS) Punjab FC have signed left-back Likmabam Rakesh Singh on loan from Kerala Blasters for the upcoming 2024-25 season. The defender has signed on a one-year loan deal from the Kerala club which had signed him in June this year.

The 21-year-old, born in Manipur, began his professional career with NEROCA FC in Manipur. In 2018, he joined the Bengaluru FC Academy and went on to represent their U16, U18, and Reserve teams in various age-group tournaments. Rakesh returned to NEROCA FC in 2022 and made over 40 appearances for NEROCA in the I-League, Durand Cup, and Super Cup Qualifiers before signing for Kerala Blasters this year.

Rakesh primarily plays as a left-back but can also play as a centre-back and he will add depth to the defence of the club. He will be the second player to sign on loan from Kerala Blasters after Nihal Sudheesh was also signed for this season.

Speaking about the extensions, Technical Director of Punjab FC, Nikolaos Topoliatis said, “Rakesh is a player with a lot of potential. He possesses a lot of energy and pace and that will be essential for the team this season. He will also provide the depth in defence, which is important for a long season."

Earlier, Punjab FC had a few days back signed Bosnian winger Asmir Suljic, who last featured for Bosnian Premier League Club FK Velez Mostar, as their sixth and final foreign signing for the 2024-25 season.

The 32-year-old was born in Srebrenica in Bosnia-Herzegovina and started his professional career with one of the biggest Bosnian-Herzegovinian clubs, Sarajevo, for whom he debuted in August 2010, aged 18. He spent three seasons with the club, scoring 11 times in 77 appearances.

In 2015, he was transferred to Hungarian Ujpest FC where he played two seasons. He represented Videoton in Hungary for the next three seasons and in 2019 shifted to Zag?ebie Lubin in Poland. Suljic played for Maccabi Petah Tikva in Israel and Diosgyor in Hungary before coming back to Sarajevo for which he played 26 more matches scoring five times. In 2023, Suljic signed for FC Tobol in Kazakhstan before signing for FK Velez Mostar.