ISL Transfer Watch: Chennaiyin FC makes first foreign signing; ropes in Senegalese defender Fallou Diagne

The
32-year-old
had
played
under
new
CFC
boss
Thomas
Brdaric
at
Albanian
outfit
KF
Vllaznia
overseaswhere
he
won
the
Albanian
cup
in
2021-22.

Diagne
made
his
debut
for
Metz
as
a
19-year-old
in
2009,
going
on
to
make
99
appearances
including
a
loan
spell
in
the
2017-18
season.
He
has
amassed
78
appearances
in
Ligue
1
including
37
appearances
for
Stade
Rennais
FC
between
2014
and
2016.

The
Senegalese
international
also
made
65
appearances
for
SC
Freiburg
between
2011
and
2014
including
57
Bundesliga
matches
and
three
appearances
in
the
Europa
League.
The
6’1
centre-back
has
scored
16
goals
in
his
career
so
far.

The
defender
has
earned
three
caps
for
reigning
Africa
Cup
of
Nations
champions
Senegal,
including
one
appearance
in
an
AFCON
qualifier
against
Namibia
where
he
played
alongside
Kalidou
Koulibaly
and
Sadio
Mane.

Ahead
of
his
first
stint
in
India,
Diagne
told

CFC
Media,
“I’m
excited
because
this
is
my
first
time
in
India.
I’m
very
happy
to
join
CFC
and
I
hope
to
bring
something
to
the
team
so
that
together
we
win
more
title.”

ISL:
Chennayin
FC
name
Thomas
Brdaric
as
new
coach

Brdaric
was
happy
to
be
re-united
with
Diagne.

“Diagne
is
a
very
experienced
player
who
should
stabilize
and
lead
the
defense.
He
radiates
a
calmness
on
the
ball
and
is
also
an
absolute
role
model
in
terms
of
discipline
and
diligence.
He’ll
acclimate
quickly
and
be
an
important
part
of
the
team,”
Brdaric
said
of
the
club’s
latest
addition.

Speaking
on
the
first
new
foreign
signing
for
the
club
this
season,
CFC
co-owner,
Vita
Dani
said,
“We’re
thrilled
to
welcome
Fallou
Diagne
as
our
first
new
foreign
signing
ahead
of
the
upcoming
season.
It’s
always
good
to
bring
in
a
player
that
the
coach
has
worked
with
before.
The
experience
he
brings,
having
played
in
the
German
and
French
first
tier
leagues,
will
be
invaluable
to
our
young
squad.”

In
the
2020-21
ISL
season,
the
Yellow
Brigade
finished
a
poor
eighth
and
failed
to
make
it
to
the
play-offs.

They
had
started
the
ISL
2021-22
season
under
Bozidar
Bandovic
before
the
well-travelled
Montenegrin
coach
and
the
club
decided
to
part
ways
midway
through
the
campaign
following
a
string
of
poor
results.

Ex-India
international
Sabir
Pasha
then
took
over
the
Yellow
Brigade
on
an
interim
basis.
Recently
they
roped
in
Brdaric
as
the
new
head
coach
of
the
club
ahead
of
the
upcoming
season.

In
his
most
recent
spell,
the
German
coach
led
Vllaznia
to
the
Albanian
Cup
for
two
successive
seasons
(2020-21
and
2021-22).

The
team
had
also
finished
runners
up
in
the
Albanian
Championship
in
the
2020-21
season.
Brdaric
was
thereafter
awarded
Coach
of
the
Year
2021.

ISL
Transfer
Watch:
Chennaiyin
FC
sign
RoundGlass
Punjab’s
Aakash
Sangwan
and
West
Bengal’s
Sajal
Bag

In
this
transfer
window,
the
Marina
Machans
have
roped
in
a
lot
of
domestic
talent
too
with
the
latest
coming
in
the
form
of
signings
of
defender
Aakash
Sangwan
and
midfielder
Sajal
Bag
on
two-year
contracts.

While
the
26-year-old
Sangwan
is
the
fourth
defender
signed
by
CFC
this
summer,
promising
West
Bengal
youngster
Bag,
becomes
the
seventh
midfielder
to
join
the
clu