Punjab FC reshape foreign roster ahead of ISL 2026-27 season
Punjab FC have overhauled their foreign player group and added a new head coach as they prepare for the Indian Super League season that begins on October 10, 2026. The changes come after the club recorded its highest-ever finish of sixth place in the 2025-26 ISL campaign.
Pavlos Dermitzakis was appointed as Punjab’s coach in late July, becoming the third Greek to lead the club after Staikos Vergetis and Panagiotis Dilberis, and the team has refreshed its overseas contingent across all areas of the pitch. The club parted ways with several foreign players and have brought in four new internationals as part of the revamp. The Shers aim to improve on last season’s sixth-place finish with the revised squad and coaching setup.
Alfred Planas, a 30-year-old Spaniard who spent the previous season at Inter Kashi, joins Punjab primarily as a striker after scoring five goals for Inter Kashi last term. Planas is expected to fill the vacancy left by Effiong Nsungusi, who departed to join ISL 2025-26 champions East Bengal FC; Nsungusi finished as Punjab’s top scorer in 2025-26 with seven goals in 12 games. Planas also produced a noted volley in the final round of fixtures against East Bengal during the last season.
Raphael Messi Bouli has been signed for his fourth ISL club and returns to the league after spells with Kerala Blasters, East Bengal and Jamshedpur FC. The Cameroonian international’s most prolific ISL campaign came in 2019-20 when he scored eight goals for Kerala Blasters, while he managed four goals in a combined 18 appearances for East Bengal and Jamshedpur. Punjab have cited his height and prior league experience as attributes they expect to utilise.
Patrick Bahanack arrives as a centre-back from Ethnikos Achna of the Cypriot First Division and is 29 years old. This move will be his first outside European football after a career spent largely in Greece, a country where Dermitzakis has also worked extensively. The club expect Bahanack to cover for the departures of two foreign defenders, Pablo Santos and Samir Zeljkovic.
Diego Raposo, a 29-year-old Brazilian attacking midfielder, joins on a free transfer from FC Lokomotiv Sofia of Bulgaria’s top tier. Raposo previously played in Portugal’s lower divisions for Torreense, RD Águeda and SC Beira-Mar, and the club describe him as capable of operating on the wings and creating opportunities from tight spaces despite not being a prolific goal scorer.
The Shers’ announced foreign contingent currently comprises Alfred Planas, Raphael Messi Bouli, Patrick Bahanack and Diego Raposo; the club has stated the article will be updated once Punjab FC confirm their complete 2026-27 roster. The ISL 2026-27 season is scheduled to kick off on 10 October 2026.