Defender Mehtab Singh pens contract extension with Mumbai City FC until 2026

Mumbai, June 12 Defender Mehtab Singh has put pen to paper on a three-year contract extension, keeping him with Mumbai City FC until May 2026.

Since joining Mumbai City FC in 2020, the 25-year-old has gone from strength to strength and has imprinted himself as a pillar in the Islanders' defence. Mehtab was a vital cog in Des Buckingham's side that lifted the League Winners' Shield in the 2022-23 season, secured a return to the AFC Champions League, along with a runners-up finish in the Durand Cup, the club informed in a release on Monday.

In his time with the Islanders, Mehtab has developed as a centre-back who is comfortable on the ball and led the charts for most successful passes in the 2022-23 ISL.

The young defender from Punjab has also grown to be a constant goalscoring threat from set-pieces and has scored five times in Mumbai City colours most notably, a thumping left-footed finish in Kochi against the Kerala Blasters in the 2022-23 league campaign.

Mehtab's strong performances for the Islanders' caught the eye of the Indian national team soon after. After stints with the India U-23 squad at the AFC U-23 Championship, he was called up to the senior national team in March 2023, where he debuted in a 1-0 win against Myanmar in the Tri-Nation Football Tournament in Manipur.

Hailing from Khemkaran in Punjab, Mehtab began his footballing journey at the Mahilpur Football Academy before joining the youth set up at East Bengal in 2016.

Impressive performances for the U-18s meant Mehtab was roped into the East Bengal first team, where he spent two seasons, including a loan spell at Gokulam Kerala.

Mehtab then made the move to the Islanders in 2020, winning the ISL 'double' of the League Winners' Shield and the Trophy in his first season and featuring in a historic AFC Champions League campaign the year after, winning twice in the Group Stage.

Reacting to his contract extension, Mehtab Singh said: "It has been a privilege to be a part of this wonderful team and I am delighted that I have the opportunity to stay here for three more years. Everyone at Mumbai City has a great bond and the club has built an environment where we are always supporting and encouraging each other.

"With the support of Des Buckingham, his staff and everyone at the club, I have certainly grown a lot as a player but also as a person but I don't want to stop here. I'm excited to live the next chapter of my Mumbai City story and I hope I can give more to the club, the coach, my teammates and the fans," he was quoted as saying in a release on Monday.

Mumbai City FC head coach, Des Buckingham said, "Mehtab has developed into one of the best young Indian defenders in the league and this has been down to his hard work and openness to learning. He possesses a lot of strong characteristics we look for in our defenders and is a very exciting prospect for the future. I'm delighted he had committed to the club and look forward to seeing him continue building on his future potential with us in the coming seasons."

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