Chennaiyin FC sign defender Salam Ranjan Singh

CHENNAI: Two-time Indian Super League champions Chennaiyin FC on Friday announced the signing of centre defender Salam Ranjan Singh on a multi-year deal.

The 25-year-old defender from Manipur joins CFC following a stint at ATK Mohun Bagan.

"It feels amazing to join Chennaiyin FC. My aim is to help the club achieve its goals while garnering as much playing time as possible. Through my hard work and dedication, I hope to establish my place in the squad, and give my very best for the club and our supporters," Salam Ranjan Singh was quoted as saying in a media release.

"My hunger to perform has never been greater, and I have been focusing on my fitness and self-analysis so as to become a better player and a better professional," he added.

A product of the Pune FC academy, Salam won back-to-back youth league titles before being promoted to the senior team in 2013-14, as he featured in the I-League and AFC Cup for the Red Lizards.

He then joined Bengaluru FC, with whom he won the I-League and Federation Cup trophies.

The defender then had a brief stint with ISL side NorthEast United, followed by two years at East Bengal.

Salam has amassed more than 50 appearances in the I-League.

Salam then returned to the ISL to play for ATK and was a member of the squad that won the 2019-20 title.

He was first called up to the national team in 2017, having been picked prior at the youth level.

Among his 11 senior caps so far are solid performances in the 2018 Intercontinental Cup triumph, along with game time in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup.