Jamshedpur FC signed promising forward Ishan Pandita on a transfer from FC Goa recently. The youngster answered questions posed by the press to the Jamshedpur FC media team. Here are some excerpts from the interview:
Ishan, welcome to the club. Your first thoughts on joining Jamshedpur FC…
I’m extremely excited to be joining Jamshedpur. I feel this is the perfect place for me right now to grow and develop with the help of Owen Coyle and the unwavering support of Jamshedpur's fantastic fans. I can't wait to get on the field and put on that red jersey of Jamshedpur.
Why did you choose to come to Jamshedpur FC?
This was a busy transfer window for me personally. I was looking for a new opportunity and I’m sure I made the right decision in choosing Jamshedpur FC. I received such a warm welcome from the fans via DMs and comments everywhere. At the end of the day a player and the club need to be on the same page and with Jamshedpur FC I got into the same flow from my first conversation with the club.
What was your first conversation with Owen Coyle like?
The gaffer played the biggest role in me coming to Jamshedpur. He’s the main reason I decided to join the club. Being a forward I couldn’t be in a better place to grow and develop under him. When I first spoke to him, he emphasised on how much belief he has in young players and his ambition to help develop every player he works with. His words worked like a charm for me and made my decision very easy.
It was a breakthrough season in Goa for you. How was your overall experience?
It was a mixed season in Goa. Whatever opportunities I received at FC Goa, I tried and enjoyed every moment of it. Each minute and each goal I scored was truly amazing. But my time in Goa is done now. I’m thankful to the club but now I move on and start with my new club Jamshedpur FC and look forward to making many amazing memories here.
Before playing in the ISL, you spent quite a few years training in Spain. What was that like?
Spain was a fantastic experience. Back in 2014, my father and I were in pursuit of better training opportunities for me to grow as a player. I really grew as a player and a person there. Everything I’ve learned and become now is from my years in Spain.
What are your aims with the team?
Like always, everyone wants to win the league. We’ll take it one step at a time. Firstly, making the playoffs and then upwards from there. From a personal point of view, obviously finding the net as many times as possible and contributing to the team to win matches is my biggest aim. And I want to learn and improve as much as I can.
There are some talented individual players at Jamshedpur FC. Who are you looking forward to linking up with the most?
That’s true. Jamshedpur has some fantastic personalities and I have heard and seen so much about the likes of Farukh, Len, Boris, Moba etc. There are some top players out there. I’ve spent good time with Farukh and Len in the national team and Goa respectively. It’ll be great to link up with them again.
Message to the fans…
Thanks always for the love and support you have shown to the club, standing through thick and thin. This year is going to be a good one. We’ll give our best and make Jamshedpur proud.
