Gurpreet Sandhu has parted ways with Stabaek, four months before his contract expires. File
AFTER MANAGING just 10 official matches and spending a meagre 839 minutes on field, India goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu has decided to pull curtains on his European adventure. Three years after he moved to Norway, Sandhu has parted ways with Eliteserien side Stabaek, four months before his contract expires. Lack of playing time with the Norwegian top division side is the key reason for Sandhu to return to India.
The 25-year-old is all set to join Indian Super League side Bengaluru FC, who will pay upward of Rs 1 crore in salary to avail his services. An official announcement is likely to be made on Thursday. Bengaluru released their 25-man squad for their AFC Cup inter-zonal semifinal against North Korean side April 25 on Wednesday. Although Sandhu does not feature in the list, he is expected to be included once the deal is made official.
Sandhu confirmed the move in an interview to Stabaek’s official website, saying he was ‘sad’ to leave them. Although he did not directly reveal his next destination, he dropped a hint. “I’ll catch a flight tomorrow and head back. The team is supposed to play in a competition next week so I am looking forward to prepare for that and do well over there,” Sandhu told the club website, referring to the first leg of Bengaluru’s semifinal on August 23.
Sandhu joined Stabaek from East Bengal in 2014 on a three-year deal. However, the move didn’t pan out as expected. He spent a major part of his stint playing second fiddle to Ivory Coast international Sayouba Mande. In his first season there, Sandhu made just one appearance — in a Cup match. In his second year, he played only five matches (four Cup and one league) while in 2017, he has only made four appearances for the main team in official matches.
The lack of match time forced Sandhu to reconsider his future in Norway. Flooded with offers from ISL, he was keen to make a move last year but hung on after being assured of more playing time by Stabaek’s goalkeeping coach Espen Granli.
The decision paid off after he was chosen ahead of Mande for the club’s crucial Europa League playoff match against Welsh team Connah’s Quay Nomads FC in June last year. But he was taken off after 30 minutes after suffering an injury.
Since then, it’s been a struggle. Unlike most foreign stints involving Indian players, Sandhu’s move wasn’t a waste of time. Although he did not play many matches, training at Stabaek under Granli ensured his growth was rapid.
When he went to Stabaek, Sandhu was raw and prone to making errors.
However, within a year of training there, his movement, speed and decision-making improved so drastically that from being on the fringes of the national team, he became the country’s No. 1 goalkeeper within a year, displacing Subrata Pal. He was later named the national team captain.
In the process, he also raised the bar for Indian players aspiring to grind it out abroad. Sandhu became the first Indian player to play in a first division match of a European league before becoming the first from the country to feature in a Europa League game.
“My first league start and Europa League game, it’s right up there. I waited for such a long time and to get that opportunity, coming from where I come from, it’s very special. It’s been an incredible journey. I am very sad it’s coming to an end,” Sandhu added.
