Hyderabad FC full-back Souvik Chakrabarti has set lofty ambitions with his club for the 2020-21 Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) season. Souvik joined the Telangana-based outfit during the January transfer window last season and recently backed the current Hyderabad squad to reach the playoffs in the upcoming campaign.

“I am very confident with Hyderabad FC next season. I’m aware that we finished at the bottom last season, but this time it will be very different. We have a good mix of both senior and junior players and together we will try our best to qualify for the playoffs. Our sights are set on the Hero ISL trophy and we’ll do whatever it takes to win it next season,” the 29-year-old defender said in an interview with khelnow.com.

“At Hyderabad FC, our coach has plans for all us, we will abide by them and play together to achieve positive results. We do have a number of young players and I feel that it’s good because we will be able to do well in the long run,” Souvik added.

The experienced defender has featured in all six seasons of the Hero ISL and has gained a lot of knowledge playing under the likes of Gianluca Zambrotta and Steve Coppell, he said, “I’ve learnt something from each of my clubs. I’ve had the opportunity to ply my trade under some all-time greats like Roberto Carlos, Gianluca Zambrotta, Steve Coppell and so on. Each of these people have helped me develop into the footballer that I am now – and I’m still learning new things every day.”

The full-back began his career in the Hero ISL with the erstwhile Delhi Dynamos FC side, playing with them for three seasons. During his initial days however, Souvik played as a midfielder, before first being utilized as a right-back by head coach Roberto Carlos during a pre-season tour. He has since gone on to make the full-back spot his own for whichever side he has represented but still insisted that he’s happy playing in any position that the coach wants him to.

“Both of our right-backs got injured during our (Delhi Dynamos FC) pre-season which was in Sweden and Carlos simply tried me as a backup in that position. Later, I went on to play in the Hero ISL also as a right-back and as I performed consistently, that role stuck with me. If someone asks me my favourite position, I don’t have one because I will play wherever the coach assigns me,” he explained.

Speaking about his favourite footballer, Souvik lauded Frenchman Florent Malouda, who was his teammate at Delhi Dynamos. “Undoubtedly, it (my favourite teammate) has to be Florent Malouda. He came to Delhi Dynamos and played there with me in the second and third seasons. Those were also two of the most successful seasons for the club, as we reached the semi-finals both times,” he recollected.