Indian Super League franchise Mumbai City FC have opted for the service of Dutch midfielder Yoëll van Nieff on a two-year deal.
Mumbai City FC were eagerly looking for a defensive midfielder to fill the void of Ahmed Jahouh, who left for his ex-club Odisha FC. They found a perfect replacement in the form of van Nieff.
Mumbai’s fresh recruit represented the Netherlands under-17 and under-18 teams on eight occasions.
In his formative years, the Dutch midfielder started his career at SC Cambuur before switching to his hometown club, FC Groningen.
Rising through the ranks of Groningen’s academy and junior teams, he got instated in the senior squad.
Advertisement
The former Groningen player featured in 83 games for their youth teams and donned the colours of their senior teams more than 100 times. He was an integral member of the side which bagged the 2014-15 KNVB Cup.
Among his other previous stints, he played for Dutch side Heracles Almelo before plying his trade in Hungarian club Puskás Akadémia FC ahead of the 2019-20 season. He had a fruitful run for the Hungarian first-division side, helping them to finish higher up the table consistently across seasons.
Van Nieff is ecstatic to join Mumbai City and feels his playing style is in sync with the club’s vision.
Advertisement
"I'm excited to start a new chapter in my career today. The positive conversations with the management and head coach made it an easy decision for me choose to Mumbai City. We have a strong squad and the head coach's vision for the club and the way he wants to play is aligned with how I view the game of football," he said after joining the recipient side of the 2022-23 ISL League Winners Shield.
Mumbai’s head coach Des Buckingham is happy with the signing and believes his experience will prove to be vital for his side.
"The experience and the quality Yoëll brings to Mumbai City will be a great asset to us. We've watched him from his time in the Netherlands and more recently, in Hungary, and we believe that Yoëll will complement our squad and have a key role to play at this club," the Englishman commented.
After a long-drawn battle with Mohun Bagan, the Islanders signed Akash Mishra. The club also renewed the contract of Phurba Lachenpa, Gurkirat Singh, Jorge Pereyra Diaz and Alberto Noguera. A couple of rookies from the Reliance Foundation Young Champs have been picked as well. Spanish centre-back Tiri has been another new addition to the team’s camp.
