Tolgay Ozebe

Calcutta: Within 24 hours after being axed from Mohun Bagan, Tolgay Ozebe has found a new shelter.

The Australian striker became the first star player to be roped in by Mohammedan Sporting for the upcoming season, on Friday. He will be signing a year’s contract after he returns from Sydney.

Mohammedan Sporting are moving ahead smartly in their bid to build a big-budget squad for the next I-League. And Tolgay’s inclusion will certainly add to the strength and depth of the team, which returns to top flight after four seasons.

“We were in touch with Tolgay for quite some time… The deal got finalised as we made an agreement with him today,” said Mohammedan Sporting football secretary Iqbal Ahmed. “He’ll sign the contract when he’s back from home.”

Inconsistency and frequent injuries hampered Tolgay’s performance to a good extent during his one-year stint with Bagan. He looked far from the force he used to be during his East Bengal days.

Owing to his patchy form and the financial crisis the club is going through, Bagan had decided to release Tolgay on Thursday.

Mohammedan Sporting officials, though, believe it’s a matter of time before Tolgay gets his form back. “We are highly confident that he will make a mark this season,” Ahmed remarked.

With Tolgay’s recruitment, Mohammedan Sporting now have four foreigners in their ranks. They had earlier roped in Brazilian duo — Josimar and Luciano Sabrosa — from Salgaocar, with Alfred Jaryan already there. Moving on to the Indian players, they have signed up Colin Abranches, ONGC midfielder Sandeep Sangha, Khanthang Paite and Charan Rai.