"="">"="">Mumbai City FC are delighted to announce
the signing of striker Adam le Fondre on a season-long loan from A-League side
Sydney FC. "="">The 33-year-old Englishman
joins the Islanders ahead of the 2020-21 ISL season, bringing in tons of
experience and quality to the Mumbai City FC attack.
"="">"="">Born and raised in Stockport, Greater Manchester, Le Fondre came
through the ranks at Stockport County in 2004. A loan spell at Rochdale in 2007
was made permanent where Le Fondre would go on to spend two seasons. A move to
Rotherham United followed before he made the switch to Reading in 2011. Le
Fondre, or Alfie as he’s fondly known, went on to become a pivotal figure in
the Reading set up and was influential in their run to the Championship title
and promotion to the Premier League in his debut season at the club. While they
faced the drop back to the Championship the very next season, Le Fondre topped
the scoring charts for Reading in each of his three seasons with the Royals.
"="">"="">
"="">"="">Le Fondre was on the move again, joining Cardiff City. Several
loan spells followed during his three-year stay at Cardiff, before signing permanently
for Bolton Wanderers. In 14 seasons in English football, Le Fondre scored 183
goals and made 44 assists in 532 appearances. In 2018, he moved abroad for the
first time to A League’s Sydney FC. Alfie enjoyed tremendous success in
Australia, leading Sydney toward two Grand Final wins and one Premiers in two
seasons, netting 45 goals and 4 assists in 67 appearances. With 228 goals, Adam
Le Fondre sits in 6th place in the list of English goal-scorers in
the 21st century.
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Adam Le Fondresaid:"="">"="">
"="">"="">“This is a new adventure in my footballing
journey. The ISL is one of the fastest-growing divisions in the world right now
and Mumbai City has the vision and the ambition to be a leading club not only
in India, but in Asia.”
"="">"="">
"="">"="">“We’ve got a really strong squad, and
arguably some of the top Indian talent at the club. Our coach, Sergio Lobera,
has the right vision and the right plan for us. Personally, it’s a fresh
challenge for me. The pressure to do well is always there and I’m ready for it.
I hope I can continue scoring, helping the team and give our fans back home
enough reasons to smile throughout the season.”
"="">"="">
"="">
"="">"="">Head coach
Sergio Lobera said:
"="">
"="">"="">“The experience, leadership and the mentality Adam brings to
Mumbai City is unmatched. He is a proven goal-scorer and he has been excellent
wherever he has played, be it in England or in Australia. Adam is the kind of
player any coach would want on his side. We believe he can have a huge impact on
our season and more importantly, can be a great mentor and a role-model to our
youngsters."="">"="">
