Image Credit: KotalPritam@Twitter

ATK Mohun Bagan defender Pritam Kotal is looking for another successful campaign in the Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL).

Kotal has previously won two trophies with ATK FC and hopes to maintain the same success with new entrants ATK Mohun Bagan this time around. Ahead of the season opener that will see ATK Mohun Bagan and Kerala Blasters FC in action this evening, Kotal explained why winning one trophy after another was important to him.

"We always want to win. Even in practice matches during training, we compete to win. We want to inculcate a winning habit. As players, you have to win trophies. After playing for 10-15 years, I want to have a cabinet with lots of trophies. If you don't win as a team then everything goes to waste. So, this is no pressure. I think we have the team to win everything. The trophy itself is a motivation and not pressure," Kotal told goal.com.

Besides winning the 2020-21 Hero ISL trophy, 27-year-old Kotal also revealed what else he was aiming for this season. "I want to win the league stage and qualify for the AFC Champions League. It will be a different experience to play in the ACL. Our primary target is to do well in Asia. But we will be going match-by-match and not think about the ultimate goal. The next match is against Kerala Blasters and we need to win it," he said.       

Seasoned Hero ISL campaigner Sandesh Jhingan, who moved to ATK Mohun Bagan from Kerala Blasters FC ahead of the season, is one of the key signings by head coach Antonio Lopez Habas and Kotal reckoned the defender’s arrival to the Kolkata-based club was definitely good tidings for the team.

"We have a pretty good understanding with each other. We play for the national team as well. We communicate very well which is very important while playing in defence. We learn a lot from each other. His joining will definitely add more value to our team," he said.