Pune FC will sport an exciting mix of youth and experience as they gear up for their fifth consecutive season of top-flight football in India.

Having finished runners-up in the previous edition of I-League, incidentally their best ever, Pune FC aims to start afresh under new Coach Mike Snoei and a Gen-Next squad.

With the focus on youth this season, Pune FC has promoted four more youngsters from the Peninsula Pune FC Academy (PPFCA), while adding six new players, including the three foreigners, to the main squad.

Fifteen players have been retained by Pune FC, while midfielder Dhanpal Ganesh returns back after a season-long loan at Pailan Arrows to make up a 26-man squad.

In contrary, Pune FC released 11 players some of whom had served out their respective contracts, while some owing to management decision.

Among the new-signings, the three foreign player include – English defender Calum Angus, Australian attacker/ winger James Meyer (Asian quota) and Spanish-born Equatorial Guinea striker Raul Fabiani – who join playmaker Douhou Pierre to make up the overseas quota.

Calum comes to Pune FC with loads of experience after spending four seasons in Swedish top-flight. Similarly Meyer brings in continental experience having played in the AFC Champions League. Raul, on the other hand, has been a regular goalscorer in the Spanish Segunda division.

Pune-born striker Prakash Thorat adds local flavour to the team and is the one fans have been waiting to watch. Likewise, the other new-signing is winger Anthony D’Souza who joins fellow state-mates Velington Rocha and Caitano Costa in the team.

The last new signing – goalkeeper Arup Debnath – joins Shahinlal Meloly and Amrinder Singh to make it a three goalkeeper line-up for the upcoming season.

Graduating into the senior ranks are defenders Longjam Gobin Singh, Salam Ranjan Singh and Yendrembam Denechandra Meitei along with striker Thongkhosiem Haokip who will be joining fellow graduates Nikhil Kadam and Fanai Lalrempuia and former academy youngster Ganesh.

The inclusion of these four takes the total count of PPFCA and ex-club youth players to nine which includes Amrinder, Ganesh and Rocha.

Interestingly, barring Ganesh and Rocha the PPFCA graduates have been part of Pune FC’s Under-20 I-League winning squads in 2011-12 and 2012-13 respectively.

The Pune FC technical staff includes new faces in Glen Johnson (Goalkeeping Coach) and Gift Raikhan (former PPFCA Under-19 coach).

PUNE FC SQUAD 2013-14

Goalkeepers
1 Amrinder Singh, 22 Arup Debnath (Mumbai Tigers FC), 27 Shahinlal Meloly

Defenders
2 Othallo Tabia, 3 Caitano Costa, 4 Calum James Angus (GAIS, Sweden), 5 Gurjinder Kumar Singh, 13 Zomingliana Ralte, 14 Yendrembam Denechandra Meitei (Pune FC Under-20), 15 Anes Edathodika, 24 Salam Ranjan Singh (Pune FC Under-20), 25 Ramu Srikanth, 29 Longjam Gobin Singh (Pune FC Under-20)

Midfielders
6 Shanmugam Venkatesh, 8 Izumi Arata, 11 Douhou Sey Djidja Pierre, 16 Velington Rocha, 17 Dhanapal Ganesan, 19 Nikhil Kadam, 21 Anthony D’Souza (Salgaocar FC), 23 Mumtaz Akhtar, 26 Fanai Lalrempuia (Pune FC Under-20)

Forwards
9 Raúl Iván Fabiani Bosio (Huracán CF, Spain), 10 James Meyer (Brisbane Roar FC, Australia), 20 Prakash Thorat (Air India), 28 Thongkhosiem Haokip (Pune FC Under-20)

Officials
Mike Snoei (Head Coach), Gift Raikhan (Assistant Coach), Glen Johnson (Goalkeeping Coach)

RELEASED
Abhra Mondal, James Joseph Saeed Moga (both East Bengal Club), Chika Wali, Karma Tsewang (both Salgaocar FC), Jeje Lalpekhlua (Dempo SC), Boima Jerry Karpeh (Sporting Clube de Goa), Asim Hassan (ONGC), Singam Subash Singh (Shillong Lajong FC), David Lalbiakzara (Rangdajied United FC), Nallappan Mohanraj (Mumbai Tigers FC), Karthick Govindaswamy (Hindustan Eagles FC, Tamil Nadu); Sukhwinder Singh (IMG-Reliance); John Benedick, Maninder Singh, Thangjam Abung Meetie, Jeh Williamson, Kamardeep Singh, Sujie Kumar M., Daisuke Nishiguchi