"Saw potential, that's why we signed them" - ZNK Dinamo Zagreb rope in Indian forwards Soumya Guguloth and Jyoti Chouhan

Croatian giants ZNK Dinamo Zagreb announced the signing of Indian women's national team forward Soumya Guguloth and national-level player Jyoti Chouhan on year-long contracts on Thursday, September 1. The Indian pair are the club's first-ever international signings.

Soumya and Jyoti were first spotted by the club's assistant coach Mia Medvedovski when she attended the 'Elite Camp' trial hosted in Kolkata in June. After impressing during the initial camp, the Dinamo invited the duo for pre-season and an extended trial in August.

In an exclusive interaction with Sportskeeda, Medvedovski underlined that both Soumya and Jyoti were roped in by the Croatian club on account of their potential. The ZNK Dinamo Zagreb assistant coach, talking about their role in the squad, stressed that they will not break into the starting lineup right away. But Dinamo will be looking to steadily integrate them into the system.

Both Soumya, 21, and Jyoti, 23, were part of Gokulam Kerala FC's (GKFC) Indian Women's League 2022 winning squad. While Telengana-born Soumya is more of a tricky winger, Jyoti can slot in either as an attacking midfielder or even as a physical striker. Soumya has a couple of national team appearances under her belt. She was part of the Indian squad that played against Sweden U-23 and USA U-23 teams.

Meanwhile, Jyoti, born in Dhar, Madhya Pradesh, is yet to break into the national team but has received multiple national camp call ups.

Women footballers from India have been switching to foreign clubs owing to greener pastures and increased exposure. GKFC’s Manisha Kalyan recently joined Apollo Ladies FC, becoming the first Indian woman to play in UEFA Women’s Champions League. Dangmei Grace also joined Uzbekistan side FC Nasaf on a six-month stint.

Given the pedigree of Dinamo, who have already won the women's first division title twice since their inception in 2016, this will be a huge exposure for both Soumya and Jyoti.

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Hopefully next year we'll go to seek more talent from India: ZNK Dinamo Zagreb assistant coach Mia Medvedovski

Here are the excerts from Sportskeeda's exclusive interaction with Dinamo Zagreb's assistant coach:

Question: First Mia, if you could talk about the signing of Soumya Guguloth and Jyoti Chouhan and what impressed you?

Mia: When I came to India to watch them, they were really good. I saw potential in them. So when I got back, I said, “the country has a few players who are really good and I think they would be good for our club”.

We then decided to invite them for more trials in Croatia. They’ve been good but there are still some things they need to work on. But we saw potential in them, that’s why we signed them.

I think it’s a great opportunity for us and for them. We want to make something bigger out of it, like a friendship between two countries.

Q: It was you who spotted them during the Elite Camp trial in Kolkata. They then went for an extended trial in Croatia. So how has their growth been since the day you first spotted them in Kolkata?

Mia: In Kolkata, I couldn’t see much as it was different down there. We have a different approach here in Croatia. I saw individual qualities in them during the Elite Camp.

That’s why we wanted them to get to Croatia for more trials to see how well they develop with the team and how they would look in our environment. And they did fine. That’s why we decided they could stay.

Q: When compared to European players, there’s a lack of physicality when it comes to Indian footballers. So is that an area that you feel might need some work on?

Mia: Yes, of course, there’s a difference. The height of Indian players is not quite like Croatians. But these players have good physical strength and continue to work on it. I don’t think it will be a problem because physically they are really ready.

Q: The two Indians are the first international signings for the club. So a word on that….

Mia: Yes, they are our first international signings. It’s huge news for us and for them too. We didn’t know exactly what the process would be like until we led ourselves into that.

It’s a really complicated process but we are really excited for the girls to join our team. And hopefully, we’ll continue to bring in more players from other countries.

Q: What kind of role will Soumya and Jyoti have in the squad going forward?

Mia: We’ll see. Like all players who come to our club, Soumya and Jyoti might not start right from the first game. Maybe one of them will get a starting chance. But we’ll see a few games and slowly develop them into the first team.

Q: Given you’ve made two signings from India, could the country's talent pool be something you’ll be eyeing even in the future?

Mia: Yes, these are our first signings from India and they are the icebreakers. But hopefully next year, we’ll go to seek more talent from the country. India really does have a lot of talented girls who are unfortunately not exposed enough. So we’re hoping to change that.