ISL: I didn't want to go anywhere. Westwood did not approach me to join ATK, says BFC's Johnson

Bengaluru, November 16: Defender John Johnson, who was not part of Bengaluru FC's AFC Cup knockouts campaign in the last three months due to personal reasons, has denied he was looking for offers elsewhere.

After BFC's pre-season tour of Spain, Johnson flew to his country England and missed the two-legged games against 4.25 SC and FC Istiklol. While the club maintained that Johnson would return to the squad for the Indian Super League, there were rumours that he had received offers from other clubs as well. ATK, where former BFC coach Ashley Westwood works as the director of football, was one of the clubs offering Johnson a bigger contract.

However, Johnson was spotted with the BFC camp in Dushanbe, Tajikstan, before their AFC Cup Inter Zonal Final first-leg against Istiklol. He returned to training by the start of October and has been with the squad since. Johnson was also seen watching India vs Macau Asian Cup qualifier in Bengaluru last month.

Back at the fortress, but as a fan watching India! 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/Lk6FlbtIZP

— John Johnson (@John6Johnson) October 11, 2017

Gutted to miss out but sure the boys will perform well in the rest of our @AFCCup campaign. Will be back stronger for the ISL! #WeAreBFC 💪🏻

— John Johnson (@John6Johnson) August 17, 2017

In the city ahead of their maiden ISL game against Mumbai City FC at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Sunday (November 19), Johnson played down the rumours of him leaving the club.

"No, I never wanted to leave the club," Johnson said. "I just had some family problems back home and the club was brilliant with me. They were fantastic with me. They gave me extra time to sort that out. That's all sorted out and now I'm back here, ready to go.

"I never wanted to leave the club at all. This is the only club I've enjoyed playing for. I've had so much success here. For me, this is the best club in India. There is no reason for me to leave. I have always been happy here. The fans have been brilliant; everyone's helped me since day one. It's been a fantastic journey and long may it continue."

Asked if Westwood suggested he join defending champions ATK, Johnson firmly said: "No, nobody has approached me."

BFC's preparations for ISL

Nonetheless, Johnson's return is a huge boost for BFC. Being their defensive mainstay, he was sorely missed during the AFC Cup matches, where a couple of lapses at the back cost the 2016 AFC Cup finalists dear.

A case in point is the miscommunication between defender Rahul Bheke and wing-back Collin Abranches during the first-leg against FC Istiklol. A cross floated in from the right saw Abranches out of position at the back, giving free space to Dmitri Barkov to direct his header into the net and give Istiklol a 1-0 advantage in the fixture. BFC eventually went down 2-3 on aggregate after the home leg ended 2-2.

"Hopefully I can make a difference if I play (next)," Johnson said. "I'm always confident in my game, but I wasn't there. We've always got the next one. Hope we can qualify for that.

"The ISL will be a very difficult tournament. There is a lot of quality in the league. Lot of very good individual players. You see some bits of skill and movement, very good individual skills. But I feel we have a good balance as a team and our strength as a team is what will help us most."

John Johnson - "We've got a good and flexible squad, so we're capable of surprising other [Hero] ISL teams." #ISLMediaDay #LetsFootball pic.twitter.com/rvMTNsPyqc

— Indian Super League (@IndSuperLeague) November 10, 2017

Moreover, Johnson's partnership with Spanish central defender Juanan Gonzalez has worked wonders for the Blues. While Gonzalez can stop the threat with his physical ability, Johnson's athleticism allows him to stop aerial attacks as well as catch up with the pace of the opponent strikers. Bheke, the third defender in the 3-4-1-2 or 5-3-2 system, has impressed in his four games after joining BFC through the ISL player draft.

"We defenders have a good understanding," he said. "It's important to build partnerships on the pitch: whether it's the right back and the right winger or the right back and centre half or me and the midfielder. There's always little connections that come with playing together more often. That's what helps teams progress. There's little partnerships all over the pitch."

Dapper men! 😎🆒#ISLMediaDay #LetsFootball pic.twitter.com/8itnt9eXv2

— Indian Super League (@IndSuperLeague) November 10, 2017

Speaking about his rapport with Gonzalez in particular, Johnson said: "My relationship (with him) is very good. We have a good understanding. We sometimes share rooms together. We know each other's games well, each other's personalities and strengths and weaknesses...if he has any. He's very flexible as well...he understands the game well. He helps me a lot...I help him. We like to think we're a flexible team...we can play three or five or four (at the back). We've got Rahul now, and Subhashish as well. They're all good players and they're pushing us now. We're flexible as a defensive team."