East Bengal did not enjoy as successful a debut Indian Super League campaign as they would have imagined. Nevertheless, there were some promising performances from players over the course of the campaign. One such player – Matti Steinmann – could be on his way out.
A report from Goal suggests that East Bengal midfielder, Matti Steinmann, is set to return to Australia this summer. Despite having a two-year contract with the Red and Gold Brigade, Steinmann is likely to leave for the A-League to sign for Brisbane Roar. However, since the player will leave in the middle of his contract, the Indian Super League outfit will be able to demand that his future suitors pay a fee for him.
The report further claims that among the key reasons for Steinmann’s potential departure is East Bengal’s delay in signing the final agreement with investors. Furthermore, several other players could also leave if the situation is not resolved.
The 26-year-old midfielder joined East Bengal ahead of the 2020/21 ISL season from A-League outfit Wellington Phoenix. While the Kolkata-based team did not enjoy the best of debut campaigns in the league, Steinmann himself had a good season and was one of his team’s better performers. He scored four times for the ISL side during his first season at the club.
Steinmann, who has represented Germany at youth levels, came through the Hamburg academy. The midfielder constantly featured for Hamburg’s reserve side during his early years at the club and made his Bundesliga debut for the senior team against Bayern Munich in 2014.
However, lack of opportunities with the first team saw Steinmann seek a transfer away from the club. A stint at Mainz reserves followed before Hamburg brought the player back to the club. He played for both the senior and the reserve teams during the 2017/18 season. However, Hamburg suffered relegation to the 2. Bundesliga at the end of the season.
Steinmann left Germany for Denmark in 2018 and a year later found himself playing his football down under. He made 24 appearances for Wellington Phoenix during the 2019/20 A-League season before being signed by East Bengal. He was the only foreign player at the club under a two-year contract, but that might not be enough to prevent him from going back to Australia.
