Ankit Mukherjee’s transfer from ATK Mohun Bagan to East Bengal in the January window benefited the Red and Golds immensely as the club were struggling until then to find a proper right-back in their ranks.
In the initial stage of the league, coach Robbie Fowler had experimented with several players in that position on a trial-and-error basis. Until Mukherjee’s arrival, Surchandra Singh mostly played as a right-back or right full-back but the former Mumbai City player’s performance was not up to the mark as he was not a natural defender and was more comfortable playing as a right-winger.