Debutants Gokulam Kerala FC set to sign ex-Mohun Bagan star Odafa Okolie

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Kochi, Jan 2: Former I League winner and three times top scorer of the tournament Nigerian Odafa Okolie is all set to join newcomers Gokulam Kerala FC in the January transfer window, according to reports.

The 32-year-old lastly played in I-League Division II club Southern Samiti in the 2016-17 season and scored in every match, however, could not guide his team to promotion.

The striker who is nicknamed as 'King Cobra' now has been reportedly looked as the prime most choice of the foreign recruitment of I League rookies who are battling to avoid relegation.

The debutants have only registered a win and a draw so far this season and lack of a prolific striker in front of the goal has been viewed as the main problem for them as they only managed three goals in six matches so far.

Their iconic captain Sushanth Mathew also has failed to live up to expectations this season and after releasing two of their foreign players like Leo Mbele and Khaled Alsaleh, the Kerala based side have reportedly offered the forward to take control the attacking line from January onwards.

Odafa is one of the top foreigners ever to grace the track of I League and has vast experience of Indian football. He won the I-League with Churchill Brothers in 2008/09 and won the top scorer's award for three consecutive seasons, starting 2007/08.

He also became the highest paid foreigners in the league for Mohun Bagan where he used to earn INR 3 crore per year.

Okolie has scored 281 goals from 358 games in his professional career in all the clubs and earlier played in Indian clubs like Mohammedan S.C, Churchill Brothers, Mohun Bagan A.C and Sporting Clube de Goa.

With so much experience of the game, the veteran forward will surely be a welcome signing for the Bino George-coached side who are loitering at the ninth place, one place above the bottom-placed Churchill brothers.