ISL: Mumbai City FC agree terms with English forward Adam le Fondre

Mumbai City FC have agreed terms to sign Adam le Fondre from Sydney FC for the 2020-21 Indian Super League (ISL) season, Goal can confirm.

The club backed by the City Football Group (CFG) has already raked in the likes of Bartholomew Ogbeche from Kerala Blasters, Ahmed Jahouh, Mourtada Fall and Hugo Boumous (all three from FC Goa) among their foreign contingent. 

Mumbai City will hope the English striker can combine well with Ogbeche and Boumous under head coach Sergio Lobera to form what is already looking like a deadly attack. 

Le Fondre started his professional playing career with English Football League One and League Two sides and was last playing for A-League side Sydney FC. His contract with the Sky Blues ran till 2021 but the purported salary cut due to the Covid-19 situation forced him to look elsewhere.

He is understood to have entered talks with several other ISL clubs but finally chose Mumbai City FC. 

He had a very good spell with Sydney FC and was last involved in the 1-0 win over Melbourne City in the 2019-20 A-League title-deciding clash. He scored 45 goals in his 67 games at Sydney FC and won two championships and a premiership in the Australian top division.

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He also had spells with Reading, Cardiff City, Bolton Wanderers, Wolves and Wigan Athletic in the English Championship that he won once with Reading (2011-12).

The striker's best return in front of goal however came during his one season in the Premier League with Reading in 2012-13. Used largely as a substitute during his 34 appearances, Le Fondre struck 12 times across just 1488 minutes of action  - averaging a goal every 124 minutes in England's top division.

Adam le Fondre becomes yet another player to leave A-League for the ISL after Jacob Tratt (Odisha FC), Joel Chianese (Hyderabad FC), Bradden Inman (ATK Mohun Bagan) and James Donachie (FC Goa) have moved from down under to the ISL. 

Roy Krishna and David Williams (ATK Mohun Bagan) have already made their mark last season after coming to ISL from the A-League.

Mumbai City have also brought in Mandar Rao Dessai, Farukh Chowdhury and highly-rated youngster Vikram Pratap Singh to bolster their Indian contingent.