Odisha FC finished in 11th position in the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) last season managing 12 points in 20 matches, 19 points behind the semi-final cut-off point. The club pulled off only two wins in the entire campaign and lost 12 matches. Their manager Stuart Baxter parted ways mid-season and was replaced by interim manager Gerry Peyton. 

Now, Odisha FC have hired Spanish coach Kiko Ramírez for the upcoming Hero ISL 2021-22 season. He comes with rich experience, having worked with top-division clubs from Spain, Poland and Greece and the Spaniard will set his sights on guiding the team to the semi-finals this season.

This how Odisha FC have fared in the transfer window -

INs

Jonathas Cristian de Jesus:

The 32-year-old forward has joined Odisha FC from Sharjah FC, a first-division club from UAE. The Brazilian has the experience of playing in the top-tier league of Spain, Brazil, Germany, Italy, Russia and UAE. The AZ Alkmaar product has played for some elite clubs such as Real Sociedad, Torino FC and FC Rubin Kazan.

Jonathas played for Hatta club on loan last season in UAE Pro League, top-tier league in UAE. He scored six goals in 10 matches.

Isaac Vanmalsawma:

The midfielder is now part of the Odisha FC fold after arriving from Jamshedpur FC. The man from Mizoram was part of AIFF’s Elite Academy and has represented India at U-19 and senior level. The former Shillong Lajong FC player has been getting better and better every season.

Last season, he made 16 appearances for the Red Miners.

Lalruatthara:

The young defender will ply his trade for Odisha FC this season, having earned a bit of a reputation at Kerala Blasters FC. The Mizoram-born full-back spent his developmental years at Chandigarh Football Academy and has played for India U-23 and senior team. He won the 2016-17 I-League with Aizawl FC and ISL 2017-18 Emerging Player Of The Year with Kerala Blasters FC.

Lalruatthara generally plays as a left-back but lately he has also played in the center-back position. He played only 5 matches last season.

Javi Hernández:

The 32-year-old midfielder has joined Odisha FC from ATK Mohun Bagan FC. The Spaniard won the Hero ISL title during the 2019-20 season and has the experience of playing in Spain, Poland, Sweden, Romania and Azerbaijan.

Javi scored a goal and made an assist in 17 matches last season. Defensively, he made 48 tackles and 21 interceptions.

Héctor Rodas:

The center-back arrives from Cultural Leonesa, a third-tier Spanish club. The Spaniard rose through the ranks at Levante UD and made his La Liga debut with them. Last season, he played 21 matches and scored a couple of goals.

Víctor Mongil:

The former ATK defender is returning to the Hero ISL and has joined Odisha FC from FC Dinamo Tbilisi, a first-tier Georgian club. The Spaniard helped the Tbilisi-based club win the league in 2019. After which he came to India and won the 2019-20 Hero ISL with ATK.

The Real Valladolid product has the experience of playing in La Liga and UEFA Europa League.

Aridai Cabrera:

The 33-year-old attacking midfielder joins on a free transfer from UD Las Palmas, a second-tier Spanish club. The Spaniard made 31 appearances and scored 3 goals in the previous season.

Aridai played in La Liga with RCD Mallorca in the 2019-20 season.

Nikhil Raj:

The young Karnataka-born forward is one of the latest recruits for Odisha FC as he arrives on loan from Kickstart FC. He was awarded Best Midfielder in BDFA (Bangalore) Super Division last season. Following which, he was sent out on loan to Indian Arrows in the I-League.

Nikhil has represented Karnataka twice in the Santosh Trophy.

Sahil Panwar:

The 21-year-old defender has joined Odisha FC from Hyderabad FC. The man from Dehradun has represented India at the U-20 level. He started his youth career at Pune FC and later moved to FC Pune City. Last season, he played only five minutes in the Hero ISL However, the talented youngster has shown promise in the past, something which he would aim to replicate in the 2021-22 season.

Sebastian Thangmuansang:

The 23-year-old right-back has joined the Juggernauts from Gokulam Kerala FC. The Manipur defender won the 2019 Durand Cup and I-League 2020-21 with the Kozhikode-based club. Sebastian began his youth career with Pune FC and later moved to FC Pune City.

He made 11 appearances in the previous season.

Liridon Krasniqi:

The 29-year-old midfielder has joined Odisha FC on loan from Johor Darul Ta'zim. Liridon has won the 2015 Malaysia Premier League, 2016 Malaysia Cup, 2017 Malaysia FA Cup, and 2017 Malaysia Charity Shield with kedah FA. During his second stint in Malaysia with Johor Darul Ta'zim, he lifted the 2020 Malaysia Super League and 2020 Malaysia Charity Shield.

The Malaysian international spent the last season on loan at Newcastle Jets in the A-League. He made nine appearances for them.

OUTs

George D’Souza:

The 26-year-old left-back has signed for FC Bengaluru United on a loan deal. The Goan played for Sporting Club de Goa before joining Odisha FC. He played only two matches last season.

RELEASED

Cole Alexander:

The 32-year-old midfielder has signed for Kaizer Chiefs FC, a first-division South African club. Last season, he played 15 matches in which he scored three goals and made an assist.

Jacob Tratt:

The 27-year-old center-back has signed for Adelaide United FC, a top-tier Australian club. The Australian won the 2018-19 A-League with Sydney FC. Last season, he made 39 tackles, 43 interceptions, and 54 clearances in 17 matches.

Diego Maurício:

The 30-year-old forward has signed for Al-Shahaniya SC, a second-division Qatari club. The Brazilian rose through the ranks at Flamengo and played for them in the Brazilian first division. Further, he has the experience of playing in top-tier leagues of Portugal, Russia, China and South Korea.

Diego scored 12 goals and made two assists in 20 matches last season.

Manuel Onwu:

The 33-year-old striker has signed for CF Badalona, a fourth-tier Spanish club. The Spaniard got only two assists in 18 matches last season. Onwu joined Bengaluru FC in 2019 but was released on loan to Odisha FC in the mid-season transfer window. After a successful loan spell with the Juggernauts, in which he scored 7 goals in 4 appearances, Onwu signed for them on a permanent basis.

Rishabh Dobriyal:

The 20-year-old has signed for Hindustan FC after being released by Odisha FC. The forward from Noida, Uttar Pradesh is a former Delhi Dynamos developmental squad player. He represented Delhi Dynamos in the AIFF U-18 Youth League.