Coach who brought Gurpreet to Norway, appointed Swansea boss
CHENNAI: Lukasz Fabianski is probably safe in the Swansea goal for now, but if their freshly-appointed manager Bob Bradley were to look for a new 'keeper, it's only natural that his mind will wander to the ones that have played for him. In that list will be a certain lanky young Indian keeper, who Bradley himself had plucked out of nowhere and taken to the Norwegian top tier.
It's only natural that everything that happens to Gurpreet Singh Sandhu makes news. After all, he's the only Indian footballer who's relevant outside the country, the only Indian connection that millions of football fans in the country, who grew up adoring the European football culture, can make with what they see on the telly or play on their Xbox. He became the first ever Indian footballer to be able to play himself on the FIFA football game. Then came that Europa League start, the first Indian in a tournament that the likes of Manchester United and Roma play in. And now, Bradley, the coach who signed Gurpreet for Stabaek and managed him for two years, has been appointed coach of Premier League team Swansea City.
"That's quite a move!" was the India captain's reaction when asked of the man who was coaching him only a few months ago. "He's one of the best coaches I have been under. I was lucky enough to spend 2 seasons with him."
"He likes the team to play football," Gurpreet continued. "Build from the back, try to find solutions with good passing and play through balls in between the lines."
Gurpreet revealed he had been touch with Bradley after the latter's departure from Stabaek to French second division side Le Havre. So will he be watching his phone when the transfer window opens in January? "I don't have high expectations of that," Gurpreet said. "I am not sure Bob will take me there because I am a lot better than what I was last year and he hasn't seen that."
For now Gurpreet is enjoying his time with Stabaek, but with age and talent on his side, he sees no reason why he should not dream about getting to where his former coach is. "Hopefully, that's the way." he said.