Mumbai City sign five overseas players ahead of ISL 2026-27
Mumbai City FC have added five foreign players to their squad as they prepare for the 2026-27 Indian Super League season, completing a wholesale overhaul of their overseas contingent.
The Islanders finished third last season, finishing one point behind Mohun Bagan Super Giant and eventual champions East Bengal, in a campaign disrupted when City Football Group departed midway through the season. Petr Kratky steered Mumbai through that campaign before leaving to become an assistant coach at City Football Group sister club, Melbourne City FC, and several youngsters — Noufal, Puipuia and Tluanga — emerged during his tenure. The club have appointed Spanish coach Manolo Marquez on a one-year deal; Marquez arrives after six seasons in Indian football, including spells with Hyderabad FC and FC Goa and a stint with the Indian National Team.
A change in ownership structure and budget constraints shaped Mumbai’s summer recruitment, prompting a cautious approach that mixes experienced professionals with new overseas signings as the club rebuilds its foreign contingent. The squad has seen departures of established names such as Lallianzuala Chhangte and Phurba Lachenpa, while Indian players Brandon Fernandes, Valpuia, Vikram Partap Singh and Akash Mishra remain part of the core expected to shoulder responsibility. Club supporters, known as the West Coast Brigade, will be watching how the new arrivals integrate into Manolo Marquez’s plans.
Wilmar Jordan Gil has joined on a one-year deal and comes with a documented goalscoring record in India and abroad: 34 goals across three seasons in India with Chennaiyin FC, Punjab FC and NorthEast United, and 11 goals in 21 appearances in his most recent season in Malaysia. Concerns over work rate and fitness have followed him at previous clubs, but the Colombian striker’s profile is described as simple and direct, resembling the type of striker Marquez has favoured, with similarities drawn to Bartholomew Ogbeche and Armando Sadiku. The club expect his goalscoring pedigree to provide a focal point if fitness allows.
Leandro Otormin has also signed a one-year contract, bringing positional versatility to Mumbai’s attack, capable of operating as a second striker, attacking midfielder or winger. Otormin arrives with playing experience in Uruguay, Greece and Bolivia and was a former Uruguay youth international who scored four goals in five matches at the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup. His technical ability and adaptability are presented as attacking options for Marquez as the team shapes its forward line.
Sergio Llamas joins from Inter Kashi to bolster the midfield and comes with a background at Deportivo Alavés, where he made 37 senior appearances and helped the club earn promotion to LaLiga in the 2015-16 season. Llamas has also played in Finland, Bolivia and India, including a spell with Gokulam Kerala, and is noted in the report as an excellent set-piece specialist who can provide composure and experience in central midfield. The Spaniard’s varied career across leagues is cited as offering Marquez an additional midfield option.
Defensive reinforcements include Carlos Delgado and Lazar Cirkovic, both on one-year deals. Delgado, a 36-year-old Spanish centre-back, arrives after five seasons with Odisha FC and is described as adding mastery, composure and leadership to Mumbai’s backline, having played alongside Indian youngsters such as Bijay Chhetri and Steiner D’souza. Lazar Cirkovic, a Serbian centre-back signed from Jamshedpur FC, is characterised as a no-nonsense defender who spent two seasons with Jamshedpur FC and one with Chennaiyin FC, offers defensive solidity, ball progression and the versatility to operate in midfield or provide cover at centre-back.
This piece will be updated once Mumbai City announce their complete roster for the 2026-27 season; the five new foreign recruits named by the club are Wilmar Jordan Gil, Leandro Otormin, Sergio Llamas, Carlos Delgado and Lazar Cirkovic.