Jamshedpur FC has bolstered its forward line by signing Australian striker Jordan Murray on a two-year deal.
The Tata Steel-owned club was in talks with the 25-year-old player last month and the deal materialised after Murray's nod. He will stay with the JFC till the end of the Indian Super League 2022-23.
An official in the JFC management revealed that Murray has come in for Australian winger Nick Fitgerald. With Jordan on board, JFC has fulfilled the league's criteria for an AFC (Asian Football Confederation) Asian player among foreigners.
Murray began his football career with the youth team of New South Wales-based Bulli FC. Later, he joined Wollongong Wolves, who feature in the National Premier League (NPL), the second division league in Australia.
He began his stint there as part of their youth setup, before getting promoted to the senior team in 2014. That year, Murray found the back of the net on 10 different occasions, leading to him signing with Sydney outfit APIA Leichhardt. At Leichhardt, the striker scored 43 goals across 64 appearances and also won the NPL Golden Boot for the 2017-18 season.
A-League side Central Coast Mariners came calling for the 25-year-old later that year. He ended up making 43 appearances for them in the top flight across two seasons, registering seven goals and four assists. Murray also shared the pitch with Usain Bolt at the Mariners, when the latter joined the club for trials during pre-season in 2018.
Earlier last year, Kerala Blasters roped in Murray for ISL 2020-21, in what was his first-ever stint outside his home country. He ended up performing well in terms of numbers, scoring seven times and registering an assist in 19 matches. He was the club’s top scorer of the season and is only the second KBFC player to score seven or more goals in a single league campaign.
Jamshedpur have already signed young Sikkimese winger Komal Thatal. Among domestic players, most have multiple-year contracts.
Jamshedpur, who stitched out a crack unit in the last ISL by signing top players, including goal machine Nerijus Valskis, managed an ordinary show by finishing sixth in the cash-rich tournament held in Goa.
