Hero Indian Super League (ISL) side Hyderabad FC announced the signing of Finnish midfielder Petteri Pennanen on Sunday through their social media handle.

The 32-year-old midfielder, who has over 380 career appearances, joins HFC on a one-year deal ahead of the 2023-24 season. “I’m really happy to sign for the club and looking forward to the new season,” said Pennanen.
“We have a group of exciting youngsters with a nice mix of experienced players so I am sure we will have a great season ahead of us if we work hard every day,” he added.

Having started his career with Kuopion Palloseura’s academy in his hometown, Pennanen has been a regular in Finnish football, with over 300 league appearances across divisions in his country.

In his career, the midfielder has travelled the world, playing in the Netherlands, Poland, Indonesia, and also in the US.
Having been capped for the Finnish National Team, Pennanen was named the Team of the Year in the Veikkausliiga, the Finnish top flight, for consecutive years in 2018 and 2019.

He was also named the Veikkausliiga’s Midfielder of the Year in 2018, 2019, and 2022, and has been in fine form for Tampereen Ilves in the last couple of seasons, where he also sported the captain’s armband.

Pennanen will get his first taste of Indian football next season and promises the HFC faithful that he will give his best right from the start. “I promise I will give everything I have every single moment I step on the field. I like to keep the ball and my biggest strength is my passing and I hope I can add a few goals as well to my game,” he said.

Pennanen becomes the third new overseas signing at Hyderabad as they look to further strengthen their squad ahead of the 2023-24 campaign.

Jayesh Rane completes loan move to Mumbai City FC

Mumbai City FC, on Saturday, completed the loan signing of Jayesh Rane from Bengaluru FC. The 30-year-old joins the Islanders on a season-long loan deal.

The two-time Hero ISL champion joined the Blues in 2021 ahead of their AFC Cup qualifying playoff and has made 30 appearances for the club across all competitions. Rane bagged three goals during his time with Bengaluru FC.

Rane has straightaway flown to Thailand to join the Islanders on the pre-season tour. Rane will definitely bolster the midfield of Mumbai City FC, which already has Apuia and Vinit Rai, among other Indian midfielders, in their ranks.

Muirang departs Bengaluru FC after two seasons

Bengaluru on Saturday revealed that they have parted ways with midfielder Wungngayam Muirang.

A defensive midfielder who can also play in defence, Muirang made his Hero ISL debut during the 2020-21 season, making two appearances. Last season, he featured in five games as Bengaluru FC reached the Hero ISL final.

He began his career with the Sports Authority of India in Imphal before making his way to the Shillong Lajong Academy. He was part of Pune FC before joining FC Pune City’s reserve team. Muirang also represented Gokulam Kerala FC in the Hero I-League for two seasons from 2018-2020 before making a switch to BFC.

Related tags:

Hyderabad FCBengaluru FCMumbai City FC Jayesh Rane