Bengaluru FC have signed India's top goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu from Norwegian side Stabaek FC on a one-year deal ahead of the 2017-18 season.
Gurpreet, who is now the first Indian player to be signed by an Indian club from a European team with a transfer fee, will be available for Bengaluru's AFC Cup campaign, as well as their Inter-Zonal semi-final against North Korean side April 25 SC on August 23.
"While the experience of playing in Europe was fantastic, lack of game time was an important factor in making the decision of moving back to India. I had an offer from another top-flight club in Europe, but the need to play regularly ahead of the AFC Asian Cup in 2019 was something that was on my mind," Gurpreet said.
I'm Blue pic.twitter.com/QgjXM3DoSN
- Gurpreet Singh (@GurpreetGK) August 17, 2017
"The fact that Bengaluru FC was interested in me was encouraging considering what they have achieved over the last few years. With BFC playing on the continental level, this season as well as the next one will provide the perfect platform for me."
Also see: Sandhu's unlikely journey from Chandigarh to Norway
Gurpreet carving his own path in European football
Gurpreet leads India from the back
India's number one goalkeeper, featuring regularly in their recent run up into the top 100 of the FIFA rankings, Gurpreet spent the last three seasons with Stabaek, becoming the first Indian footballer to appear in a UEFA Europa League match when his team faced Welsh side Connah's Quay in 2016.
First-team appearances for Gurpreet, however, were few and far between through his three years in Norway, forcing a decision to move to India, where he has turned out for I-League club East Bengal in the past.
With Gurpreet in goal, the Indian national team hasn't conceded a goal in the last 298 minutes of play, including 1-0 wins over Myanmar and Kyrgyzstan that have placed them on top of Group A in the AFC Asian Cup qualifying campaign, where the top two teams in the group will qualify for the 24-team competition in UAE.