ISL 2022-23: Chennaiyin FC sign Dutch midfielder Nasser El Khayati

Chennaiyin FC have completed the signing of Dutch attacking midfielder Nasser El Khayati on a free transfer to bolster their squad ahead of the 2022-2023 Indian Super League campaign. El Khayati will be replacing Rafael Crivellaro in the Marina Machans squad for the upcoming season.

Chennaiyin FC on Friday announced a 35-man squad for the upcoming Indian Super League season with head coach Thomas Brdaric looking to build on a promising Durand Cup campaign that concluded earlier this month. Nasser El Khayati joined the club as its seventh foreign acquisition.

Nasser El Khayati to Chennaiyin FC

Khayati began his career with the youth academy of Excelsior before joining the Feyenoord youth team in 2003. He later moved to RKSV Leonidas’ youth department before making his professional debut in the Eerste Divisie on October 3, 2008, for Den Bosch. Since then, the 6ft tall midfielder has represented Queens Park Rangers, ADO Den Haag, Burton Albion, and Kozakken Boys in a career spanning 14 years.

“I am very excited and happy to join Chennaiyin FC and can’t wait to see the boys and get started. I am hopeful that we will have a great season and I will do my best” said a determined Nasser on joining Chennaiyin FC.

Apart from plying his trade in Eredivisie, Khayati has also played in the Championship, League One, and League Two in England besides playing for Qatar SC in Qatar’s top-tier league. However, Chennaiyin will be Khayati’s first club in South Asia. The player has a knack for scoring goals and was the highest goal scorer in the Eredivisie in the 2018-19 season. In his career so far, the player has taken part in 213 matches scoring 63 goals and achieving 41 assists.

The player of Moroccan descent will join a midfield that already consists of several experienced players such as Anirudh Thapa and Julius Duker and will certainly give coach Thomas Brdaric options to try out various combinations with the team.

This year, Chennaiyin will kickstart its ISL campaign on October 10 against ATK Mohun Bagan in an away match before hosting Bengaluru FC at the Marina Arena on October 14.