KOCHI: The goalkeeping department at Kerala Blasters FC is witnessing a complete overhaul ahead of the new Indian Super League campaign.
The club had recently acquired the services of Goan shot-stopper Albino Gomes after parting ways with the experienced TP Rehenesh. Now, the club has acquired a young and upcoming player to rival Albino for the first-choice spot.
Prabhusukhan Gill, who deputised for Dheeraj Singh during the 2017 Under-17 FIFA World Cup, joins the Blasters from rivals Bengaluru FC.
While the Ludhiana lad didn't feature in any of the games in the U-17 World Cup where India exited at the group stage, he came to prominence at Indian Arrows - the developmental team of the All India Football Federation that competes in the I-League.
After Dheeraj Singh left the Arrows, Gill was their first-choice keeper and made over 30 appearances for the club over two seasons in the I-league before moving to Bengaluru FC.
There, he was the understudy for Gurpreet Singh Sandhu at BFC and it remains to be seen if he can stake a claim to being the first-choice keeper at the Blasters.
"The management was very genuine when they explained their future plans for myself and the team. This, along with the temptation to play in front of the best fans, is what motivated me to move to Kerala Blasters FC. I want the fans to know that I will give it my all and will put up a fight whenever the team needs me," said Prabhsukhan Gill in a statement.
Footballing journey
The 19-year old, born in Ludhiana, Punjab, started his footballing career with the Chandigarh Football Academy in 2014.
He trained for two years at the Academy, before being selected to the AIFF Elite Academy that was preparing for the FIFA U-17 World Cup in India in 2017.
He was signed by the Indian Arrows in the same year and was with the team for two seasons.
The young shot-stopper caught the eye of the KBFC talent hunt team with his performance in the Hero Super Cup qualifiers in 2019.
"As a 19-year-old, Prabhusukhan is very mature for his age and a confident goalkeeper too. He is one of the very few goalkeepers in India who is very good with his hands and feet. His signing reinforces our trust in young talents and our focus on their growth and development. I am very excited to see him join us and am positive that he will be a good addition to the squad," said Ishfaq Ahmed, assistant coach of Kerala Blasters FC.