Football: SPL champions Lion City Sailors sign Singapore duo Izwan & Anumanthan
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Izwan Mahbud (left) joins the Sailors on a two-year contract, while M. Anumanthan has been given a three-year deal.
PHOTOS: LION CITY SAILORS
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SINGAPORE - Eager to put on a respectable showing in their maiden Asian Champions League (ACL) campaign and retain their Singapore Premier League (SPL) crown, the Lion City Sailors have added Singapore internationals Izwan Mahbud and midfielder M. Anumanthan to their squad.
Both players were part of the Lions squad that in December made the knockout stages of the Asean Football Federation Suzuki Cup for the first time since 2012.
Izwan, 31, who has 54 caps, played between the sticks for Hougang United in the SPL last season and joins the Sailors on a two-year contract. Anumanthan, 27, who was with Kedah FC in the Malaysia Super League last season, has been given a three-year deal.
As both players were free agents following the expiry of their previous contracts, there is no transfer fee involved.
The Sailors' second and third signings for the new campaign were announced on Saturday (Jan 8).
Last November, the SPL champions unveiled the league's highest-paid footballer, South Korean Kim Shin-wook, who is on a three-year deal that is understood to be worth more than $3 million.
The Straits Times understands that they are also close to securing the services of a Brazilian centre-back from the Portuguese top tier and are eyeing a foreign winger to complete their foreign quartet, which includes Brazilian playmaker Diego Lopes and Kim.
But in between the sticks, new signing Izwan and Singapore No. 1 Hassan Sunny will replicate their national team jostle at club level.
Izwan, who spent three years from 2018 with Thai clubs Nongbua Pitchaya, Trat FC and Samut Prakan City, said : "I'm relishing the challenge for the No. 1 spot with Hassan. I'm certain we will drive each other as hard as we do when we're on duty with the national team.
"I've had conversations with players who speak with a lot of excitement about the way the club trains and the attitude that the players approach the sessions, and I'm looking forward to getting stuck in as we aim to bring success to the club and to Singapore football."
Sailors' head coach Kim Do-hoon, who led the club to the league title in his first season in charge, is thrilled to have secured the services of Izwan and Anumanthan.
He said of the duo: "Izwan and Anu will need a bit of a break after their contributions to the Singapore national team at the AFF Suzuki Cup, and I'm looking forward to them returning to training.
"I'm confident their presence will help push the rest of the squad to be even better."
The SPL is expected to kickoff in late March while the ACL campaign for Sailors will get underway in April.
