Jamshedpur FC on Monday announced the signing of a highly experienced goalkeeper in the form of Pawan Kumar on a two-year deal for the upcoming Indian Super League season VII.
Pawan, who hails from Gurdaspur in Punjab, signed from NorthEast United FC for whom he raked up 18 appearances over two seasons of ISL with 46 saves and 6 clean sheets. The 30-year-old’s safe pair of hands was one of the reasons behind NorthEast United's first ever play off qualification in the 2028-19 season.
“I am delighted to have joined Jamshedpur. Looking at the growth of the club over the past three seasons, I always had an ambition to be at the Furnace. It’s like a dream come true. It’s a huge challenge for me as I know we want to qualify for the ISL play-offs in our our quest to become champions,” Pawan said.
“Football is like a theatre and there are no performances without a fabulous audience. The fan following in Jharkhand and Jamshedpur is absolutely amazing as the passion for the game runs sky high. The Furnace lights up with 20,000 spectators each time Jamshedpur plays,” he added.
Pawan brings experience and proficiency to the JFC squad having featured regularly in the I- League and ISL for over eight years. He made his debut with Salgaocar and later went on to represent Bengaluru FC, Mumbai FC, Mohun Bagan and Chennaiyin FC. The goalkeeper was a crucial member of Bengaluru FC's 2014 I-League squad. He also won the Federation Cup with BFC in 2015.
Jamshedpur FC head coach Owen Coyle was all praise for the custodian:” Pawan has proven over many seasons that he is one of the outstanding goalkeepers in India. It’s a position in which we were looking to strengthen ourselves and I am certain that he will do a good job. He is confident and vocal in commanding the defence line, excellent with his positioning and can himself big against the best of the finishers in the league. I am excited to be working with him.”
The goalkeeper, who comes as a replacement for Subrata Pal, will wear the coveted No.1 jersey for the upcoming ISL. Pal, who was the first-choice goalkeeper for JFC for the past three seasons, will be representing Hyderabad FC in the upcoming season.
