EAST BENGAL, AFTER PENNING a record deal with Quess Corp, are actively trying to get into the Indian Super League 2018-19 season; and they have adopted a maximum-impact transfer policy to help the team make an eye-catching impact.

The ISL is expected to kick off in the last week of September, directly following the SAFF Championship's conclusion. Which means East Bengal; now re-branded Quess East Bengal; have till the end of July to make the jump from the I-League to ISL. Organizers IMG-Reliance are keen to accommodate them, but the last minute nature of the jump has created a lot of concern over whether EB will be able to assemble a competitive squad.

Last year with a draft ISL herded the top recognized domestic talents in the country towards its own franchises, away from the top division clubs. East Bengal lost most of their core players in the process like almost all I-League clubs. Subsequently, most of those players either extended their existing contracts or transferred to another team within ISL, leaving East Bengal with limited options when it comes to top bracket Indian players. To make up for this deficit they are pursuing some mega foreign signigns that they hope will convince IMG-Reliance that their team will be competitive.

The club has already sign Johny Acosta, the Costa Rican centre back who played in this World Cup. They are also apparently in talks with 23 year old Iranian striker Sardar Azmoun, who just retired from international football following Iran's early exit from the World Cup. But the biggest deal in the works at East Bengal is that of Brazilian striker Robinho, who has played 100 matches for his country and has had long spells at clubs like Real Madrid, Manchester City and AC Milan. With a reported salary plus transfer fee package worth Rs 33 crore, Robinho's signing has the potential to become the biggest in the history of Indian football.

The move makes perfect sense in terms of Quess Corp's efforts to uplift the East Bengal brand. The club will make a huge splash and re-awaken its casual fanbase if it makes an immediate ISL entry, boosted by Quess's financial power and the IMG-Reliance marketing machinery. This will turn East Bengal into the de facto biggest club in the country, in terms of financial might and popularity.

Rumours of an impending tie-up with a major European club, arriving right on queue after the transfer rumours hit the airwaves, also reflect how the global football business community have woken up to the under-utilised branding potential that lie with the Kolkata giants.

On pure footballing terms, arguments can be made in both ways whether an immediate ISL entry makes sense. Over the years it's been apparent that whether it's I-League or ISL a club needs a strong Indian core to do well, and on paper East Bengal lack that in comparison to other ISL franchises. But then again in the Super Cup, it became apparent that even in their weakened state East Bengal were more than able to be competitive with ISL teams; so a financial boost and some attractive overseas signings can significantly boost their squad strength and even turn them into an ISL title contender.

It all depends on whether they ultimately get into ISL this season. The ideal scenario for both AIFF and IMG-Reliance is to take in both East Bengal and Mohun Bagan so that ISL can benefit from their iconic Kolkata Derby rivalry, but Mohun Bagan are going through turmoil within the club and this has hampered their move to form an immediate corporate alliance and try to enter ISL like East Bengal and Bengaluru FC; although rumours are circulating that by the end of July Mohun Bagan may also announce an intermediate corporate sponsorship agreement that will be a precursor to a larger deal similar to the Quess-East Bengal partnership; and it might give them enough resources to make a 2018 jump to ISL.

In a practical sense, though, East Bengal have the right to look out for themselves and not wait for Mohun Bagan. Last year, Heineken wanted them to do the same and waiting for MB to sort themselves out cost EB that partnership; and it would be unwise to do make the same mistake again.

All in all, suspense surrounds the whole situation as of now. The picture is likely to get much clearer in the next two weeks.