Dubai: India Under-23 and East Bengal keeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu is currently on trial at Wigan Athletic as he bids to become his nation’s first export to the English Premier League.
Sandhu, 20, of Muhali, Punjab, first caught the eye of Dubai-based English talent scout John Burridge while playing in the East Bengal-Mohun Bagan derby last season.
The pair then met again when Sandhu came to the UAE and Oman on camp with the Indian Under-23 squad.
Burridge, 60, formerly a keeper at Aston Villa, Newcastle United and Manchester City, has ties with Wigan through their Omani keeper Ali Al Habsi, whom he discovered and placed with Bolton Wanderers back in 2006.
“Burridge and Ali came up with the idea of a trial with Wigan,” said Sandhu, who flew to England on Sunday and stays until Tuesday.
“Ali told me about how Burridge had played an important role in shaping his career in the EPL, firstly with Bolton Wanderers and then Wigan.
“Burridge showed faith in me and it was a big boost of confidence as he has trained top goalkeepers, including Paul Robinson. Now, I have started believing in fairy-tale stories.”
Sandhu, who stands at 1.96 metres, more than a centimetre taller than Al Habsi, added: “My club East Bengal is happy. They know it’s a good opportunity for me, as I shall get better training out there, which will be helpful for me.”
If Wigan shows interest, Sandhu will need to follow Habsi’s lead in gaining a work permit, which would require the keeper to play in 75 per cent of India’s first team matches over a period of two years. India would also need to be better than 70th in the world rankings.
Al Habsi bided his time to fulfil this requirement by joining Norwegian club Lyn Oslo for three seasons, and Burridge may devise a similar deal with his latest protégé.
If successful, Sandhu would follow in the footsteps of Bhaichung Bhutia, Sunil Chettri and Subrata Paul, all of whom have sought opportunities at European or North American clubs with varying success.
Michael Chopra, born in England of Indian parentage is so far the first and only Indian to have played in the Premier League, but none have made the transition from the I-League.
