Kerala Blasters set to sign Montenegro midfielder Nebojša Kosović ahead of ISL 2026-27

Kerala Blasters are poised to complete the signing of Montenegro international Nebojša Kosović ahead of the Indian Super League (ISL) 2026-27 season, Khel Now reported on October 5, 2026. The 31-year-old central midfielder is a free agent after his contract with Thai League 1 side Bangkok United expired on July 1, 2026, and both parties have agreed all terms with the deal due to be finalised before he travels to India for pre-season.

Born in Nikšić in February 1995, Kosović progressed through Vojvodina’s academy from 2007 and made his senior debut as a 16-year-old in the 2010-11 season, going on to play 38 times for the club, 30 of those in the league. He signed for Standard Liège in January 2014 but did not make a competitive appearance before being loaned to Újpest, where two spells in 2014 produced 27 appearances and the Magyar Kupa in 2013-14. Kosović joined Partizan on a free transfer in August 2015 and remained there for three and a half years, the longest spell of his career.

At Partizan he made 81 appearances, 60 of them in the Serbian top flight, and scored five goals; the club won the Serbian Cup in each of his four seasons and secured the league title in 2016-17. Including the cup won with Vojvodina in 2013-14, Kosović is a five-time Serbian Cup winner.

Kosović has spent the last seven and a half years playing in Asia. He joined Kairat Almaty in March 2019, made 72 appearances and scored nine goals while winning the Kazakh league title and the domestic cup. In April 2022 he moved to Meizhou Hakka in the Chinese Super League, where he compiled 73 appearances, 12 goals and 12 assists across three seasons and scored five in his final campaign in 2024.

He transferred to Al-Tai in January 2025, making 13 appearances without scoring, and moved to Bangkok United that September, where he played 26 matches and scored four, including 10 appearances in the AFC Champions League Two and four in the ASEAN Club Championship. Across his career Kosović has totalled 330 senior appearances, 34 goals and 35 assists in 20,920 minutes of football.

In UEFA competition Kosović has played 25 matches and scored once; five of those appearances came in a group stage, all for Kairat in the Conference League in 2021-22. The remainder were in qualifying rounds: 12 in Europa League qualifying (his only European goal came for Vojvodina in 2013-14), seven in Champions League qualifying and one in Conference League qualifying. He has not appeared in the Champions League or Europa League group stages.

Kosović has 34 caps and one goal for Montenegro, making his senior debut on May 29, 2016 in a 1-0 win away to Turkey and scoring his lone international goal in a 2-1 friendly win over Hungary on September 6, 2019; he also has four international assists. His international appearances comprise 10 in the UEFA Nations League, nine in World Cup qualifying, nine friendlies and six in European Championship qualifying, and he last played for his country in June 2024 away to Belgium.

A central midfielder by trade who can operate as a defensive or attacking midfielder, Kosović’s minutes have declined in recent seasons: 2,254 in his final season in China, 818 in Saudi Arabia and 656 league minutes in Thailand last season. Kerala Blasters head coach Ashley Westwood, who replaced David Català in March 2026, has finalised two foreign signings so far — former Aston Villa winger Andre Green and Kosović, both on free transfers — and has been central to identifying overseas targets; Khel Now understands the club remain in talks with two more foreign players.

The signing is scheduled to be completed before Kosović joins pre-season in India, with Kerala Blasters set to begin their ISL 2026-27 campaign away to Inter Kashi on October 11 at 5:00 PM IST and play their first home game at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi against Mumbai City FC on October 25; seven of their 12 Phase 1 matches are away from home.