Shillong, Sep 2: Former Shillong Lajong captain Samuel Lalmuanpuia has said he is “very excited” to have joined Indian Super League side Kerala Blasters.
The Blasters formally announced Lalmuanpuia’s signing earlier today on social media, with Lajong having wished him farewell some days prior.
In an Instagram post today Lalmuanpuia said, “I can’t believe all the love and support i got since i reach Kochi…I wasn’t able to answer all your messages but i am truly grateful..I am very excited to be a part of the family and will try my best for the club”.
The forward from Mizoram has been at Lajong for years and made his I-League debut in 2015-16 for SLFC. He scored 10 I-League goals for Lajong, the second-most of any Indian player at the club after Boithang Haokip (16). Lalmuanpuia was also the I-League Emerging Player of the Year for 2017-18 and at the end of his Lajong career he was easily the most-experienced of their players, having been fielded in 59 I-League games, of which 49 was as a starter.
After the conclusion of the 2018-19 I-League, Lalmuanpuia was loaned to Minerva Punjab for their AFC Cup campaign where he scored one goal.
He joins the Blasters just a couple of days after his former coach at Lajong Thangboi Singto announced that he is moving from the Kerala side to the erstwhile Delhi Dynamos, who will be shifting base to Bhubaneshwar this season under a new name – Odisha FC. Singto had joined Kerala Blasters in 2017 as assistant coach and head of youth development.
(TSR file photo)