Kerala Blasters finalise six-man foreign contingent ahead of ISL 2026-27 opener
Kerala Blasters FC finalised a six-player foreign contingent for the Indian Super League 2026-27 ahead of their October 11 opener against Inter Kashi, with head coach Ashley Westwood involved in the recruitment.
The squad was assembled rapidly after a summer in which the club nearly shut down: by July only 13 players remained on the books while Magnum Sports searched for a new investor, and UAE-based Al Fursan, led by Sheikh Ahmad bin Faisal Al Qasimi, took over in a phased deal to be completed over eight months. Last season was described as two campaigns in one: David Català earned a single point from the first six matches before his dismissal in March, and Ashley Westwood then took 13 points from his first six games, registering four wins and a draw and producing an unbeaten run in the final stretch that lifted the team clear of danger. The club have lost three ISL finals and never won the title, and the fan group Manjappada boycotted home games from April in protest at how the club was run; the home opener against Mumbai City on 25 October is cited as the first test of the new ownership’s ability to restore supporters to the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.
Westwood guided the transfer approach, prioritising functional versatility over star power and targeting players who could be integrated quickly during a short preseason; several new arrivals are noted as having experience in Asian football, which the club believes will aid adaptation. Westwood drew up his own shortlist and was described as instrumental in the signing process for the foreign recruits who arrived ahead of the October fixtures.
Adrián Luna remains the club’s most enduring foreign figure, topping the Blasters’ charts for assists and goal contributions since his arrival from Melbourne City in 2021. Luna was loaned to Persik Kediri in January, returned on 30 June and rejoined the preseason camp; he is described as a set-piece specialist with final-third creativity and pressing ability who can play off the striker, drop into midfield or start from the left, and is 34 years old.
The first foreign signing for the 2026-27 season was Englishman André Green, an Aston Villa academy product who made his Premier League debut at 17 against Tottenham and who has won two Slovak titles with Slovan Bratislava while scoring seven goals in 19 European games. Green prefers the left flank but can operate on either wing or as a secondary striker to suit Westwood’s 4-4-2; his recent form is noted as a concern, with no goals and only one assist in 858 league minutes for Panserraikos and AVS in 2025-26.
James Bolton is presented as a defensive option following Marko Leskovic’s departure, bringing 413 appearances across nearly fourteen years including a League One title with Plymouth Argyle in 2022-23. Bolton moves outside European football for the first time and offers versatility—200 appearances at right-back and 152 at centre-back with 28 career goals—and previous experience in League Two and the Scottish top flight.
Midfielder Nebojša Kosović arrived as a longed-for central option, a five-time Serbian Cup winner with 34 Montenegro caps and league titles at Partizan and Kairat Almaty; he is described as capable as a box-to-box or holding midfielder and also as an attacking midfielder, with a best spell of 73 games and 12 goals at Meizhou Hakka. Forward Momo Yansane, a Guinea international who won the Moldovan league and cup double with Sheriff Tiraspol in 2021-22 and was part of the team that beat Real Madrid in the Champions League, last played for Pyunik Yerevan before leaving as a free agent in August; he is the only senior striker in the foreign group and scored 8 goals in 26 appearances across the Armenian league, Cypriot league and cups last season, described in the report as more of a pressing and link-up striker than a proven finisher.
Fallou Ndiaye returned to the squad after joining on 4 March from Finnish side SJK Seinäjoki as a replacement for Oumar Bah three matches into a season in which the Blasters had lost every game; he was 23 at the time, on a short-term deal to season end, and finished that ISL campaign with nine starts, two goals and 810 minutes. Ndiaye, listed at 1.98m and noted as the tallest member of the squad, scored five league goals in 37 appearances in Finland—mostly from set pieces—and is credited with contributing to build-up play from the back. Kerala Blasters’ six foreign players for ISL 2026-27 are listed as Adrián Luna, André Green, James Bolton, Momo Yansane, Fallou Ndiaye and Nebojša Kosović, and Ashley Westwood is identified as the head coach of the club.
The Blasters will field this reassembled squad in the ISL opener against Inter Kashi on October 11 and will host Mumbai City in their home opener on October 25, fixtures that conclude the immediate timeline for the newly signed foreign contingent.
