The Bhutanese football sensation, Chencho Gyeltshen, is back in the BOB Bhutan Premier League after a gap of three years. Amid transfer rumours linking the striker to another club before the season, it was Paro FC that finally gained his signature. This is his second stint with the club. He began the season scoring a hat-trick in the opening of the club’s match against FC Takin recently.
Chencho Gyeltshen played as a forward for Kerala Blasters, a professional Indian Football Club in the last season of the Indian Super League. Chencho was a part of the ISL title-winning Bengaluru FC team in the 2018-2019 season. He was also one of the key players to help Minerva Punjab FC win their first I-League title in the 2017-2018 season.
After a season with Bengaluru, Chencho played for Paro FC in 2020 in the BOB BPL. He was then the top scorer of the BPL with 10 goals in just six games before he left for RoundGlass Punjab midway in the BPL season.
Taking to social media after signing with Paro FC recently, the striker wrote he has some unfinished business referring to the 2020 season when he left abruptly to play in the I-League.
“I initially thought of going back to India before signing with Paro FC. I received offers from around three clubs from there. But I have a family to raise, and a child to care for. So, I need to look at the future as well. To sign with a club in India, I have to sign for a year,” he said.
And for Paro FC, Chencho, who is the leading goal scorer in the country, joins with the experience of having played in various clubs at the international level over the years.
According to the Paro FC’s Head Coach, Puspalal Sharma, the club approached the striker soon after he returned from India.
“He said that if ever an opportunity presented itself, he will always love to. Maybe the other reason could be because he is from Paro and he might have community pressure. That is something that I can sense from him. Yes, it was an opportunity for us to sign because we definitely know that he is a big name for Bhutanese football. To bring him into the squad would definitely be an added advantage,” he said.
The striker and winger said he will see through the full season if there are no major offers from international clubs this time.
“I am planning to try in a different league this time. Because the other league signings happen usually around December. The opportunity is there, but it is not definite. I am taking a risk and trying. The BPL season is around 5 months. So, I have a full time to play in the BPL,” he added.
During the Club’s opening match of the BPL, Chencho Gyeltshen and the newly signed Japanese forward Kazuo Homma stole the show finding the back of the net eight times in between them against FC Takin. In the next match, Paro FC will take on the military squad, Tensung FC on Sunday.
Tshering Dendup
Edited by Sonam
