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Bhutia may play in English league

After playing a match in Goa recently, Bhaichung Bhutia had remarked that he would soon startle everyone by switching sides.

He seems to be on the verge of doing just that.

If the 21-year-old from Sikkim can successfully complete his trial, he should be playing for Birmingham’s Aston Villa this season.

This makes Bhaichung the first Indian to get an opportunity to participate in trials for English Premier League.

Bhaichung had been trying to play football abroad since last year. He had gone to California for a trial through his sponsors Rebook, but things did not work out for the most expensive footballer in the country.

Luck finally favoured Bhaichung when a Scottish coach, Danny McLean , referred Bhaichung to Aston Villa, which has been looking for a striker. McLean has been coaching Churchill Brothers for the last few years, and had got to watch Bhaichung when the two teams clashed in various competitions.

“I had told Bhaichung about Aston Villa last year itself," says McLean. "But I feel he should have tried to play in the Spanish or Portuguese league, instead of the English league”.

But England it is, as the Sikkim-born striker goes through his paces under the eyes of Villa's manager-coach John Gregory.

Villa has been looking for a lead striker ever since Stan Colimore suffered mental depression. Though Colimore was permitted to be on the ground and had actually played a match, Gregory was not satisfied with his performance.

Given the skyrocketing rates that the aces of Europe and Latin America are charging, English teams have begun turning their attention towards talent from the Caribbeans and Asia.

A spokesman of Aston Villa described Bhaichung as a talented footballer, but added that before the club actually signed him on, he would have to pass a tough medical test.

If Bhaichung does sign on, it will be an unprecedented feat for an Indian footballer. In the '40s an Indian footballer, Faqri, had played in the division league but professional soccer in England is totally different.

A few Asian footballers have played in the English Premier League but they are not considered heavyweights or paid at par with English players.

At present, Bhaichung is being hidden away by his agent, Gordon Smith, in a London apartment in order to permit the young star to concentrate on his football, without other distractions.

Meanwhile the Indian community in the West Midlands area is already upbeat with the news of Bhutia's possible entry into their midst. The region has a strong Indian community, and some racial tension prevails between the natives and the Indian expats. The feeling among the Indians in the region, thus, is that Bhutia's stellar role for the club will incline the natives to look more favourably on the community. Similarly, the club authorities could be looking at the Indian supporters streaming in through the gates in support of their own.

All of which seems to make for the most perfect kind of synergy.