ISL: Vishal Kaith, Nerijus Valskis part ways with Chennaiyin FC

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], June 22 (ANI): The two-time Indian Super League (ISL) champions Chennaiyin FC have parted ways with the goalkeeper Vishal Kaith and forward Nerijus Valskis following the conclusion of their contracts.
The goalkeeper joined the Chennaiyin FC from Hyderabad FC in 2019-20 for an undisclosed fee, after spending the previous three seasons at FC Pune City where he played a key role in the team reaching the ISL 2017-18 semi-final and contributed with seven clean sheets in 17 appearances that season.
The 25-year-old goalkeeper in his inaugural season played a pivotal role and featured prominently in Chennaiyin FC’s runners-up finish. He made 41 saves in twenty appearances that season. Overall, in his 49 appearances, he made astonishing 113 saves for the Marina Machans.
Nerijus Valskis who in his first stint with Chennaiyin FC in 2019, became an instant hit in the ISL, winning the Golden Boot, has decided to bid adieu to the club after returning for a second spell with the club following a year with Jamshedpur FC.
However, having joined in January, he couldn’t make the desired impact as Chennaiyin FC’s season derailed.
He made a total of 37 appearances for the Chennai-based side, he registered himself on the scoresheet 19 times and made seven assists.
The forward penned down a farewell tweet on his exit from the club, he wrote, “The time has come…. Thank you @chennaiyinfc for all the memories. You will always remain in my memories. I will miss Marina Arena. Good luck to you all.”
On the other hand, Odisha FC announced the signing of Australian defender Osama Malik for the upcoming ISL season via their social media handles. The 31-years-old defender signed a year-long deal with the club.
The Aussie defender is an adaptable player who can play central defence, fullback, as well as a holding midfield. He has previously played for Adelaide United, North Queensland Fury, Melbourne City, and, most recently, Perth Glory in the Hyundai A-League.
The Kalinga Warriors head coach Josep Gombau seems pleased with the signing of the Australian defender, he said,” First of all I would like to welcome Osama to the club and I am so happy to have him here. He is a player who has a lot of experience in Asia. Osama has 200 games under his belt when he was at Adelaide and he is a player that I know very well.”
During his time with the Saudi Arabian club Al-Batin, the former Australia U-20 international also gained some international experience.
Odisha FC now has filled their obligatory Asian quota in the roster with this addition. (ANI)