ISL: Jamshedpur FC add Ricky Lallawmawma to bolster defence

Jamshedpur: Jamshedpur FC on Thursday announced its fourth signing in the space of ten days with the addition of left back Ricky Lallawmawma.

The 28-year-old signed a two-year deal keeping him at the club till 2022. The defender hails from Mizoram and previously plied his trade with ATK for two years and was part of the squad that won the Indian Super League (ISL) in 2019-20.

Ricky expressed his delight at signing for Jamshedpur FC. "I am so happy to be joining Jamshedpur FC, a club with a great Head Coach, loud and proud supporters and fantastic facilities. The club has a plan along with a big ambition to do well in the Indian Super League and to be consistently successful. I share the same ideologies for myself and hope to contribute in the best ways possible under an expert like Owen Coyle," he said.

Ricky began his footballing career in Mizoram with former I-League champions Aizawl FC, where he went to become the captain later - and has played for other clubs in the Mizoram Premier League like Chanmari FC and Zo United.

He moved back to his childhood club, Aizawl FC in 2015 when they gained promotion to the I-League. He later played for DSK Shivajians and Mohun Bagan before making his move to ATK and amassed a total of 57 top-tier appearances across all clubs. Head Coach, Owen Coyle, announced his delight on having Ricky in his squad.

"Ricky comes with a lot of good experience and will add great value to the team. He is a very focused individual who can play well and keep the ball. Also, he is fast and agile - the two being important characteristics for a defender in modern football. Even though primarily a left-back, his versatility helps him play any position across the backline. I am glad to have him joining us."

The Mizo defender's addition will bolster a backline currently consisting of Joyner Lourenco, Narender Gahlot, Sandip Mandi and Jitendra Singh. Ricky will be wearing squad number 16 for the upcoming ISL season.