Asmita Ale poised to join Leicester City following succesful loan from Tottenham last season; Aqsa Mushtaq pens new one-year deal at Greek side OFI Crete; both players showcased alongside Millie Chandarana at Punjab United vs Sporting Khalsa friendly ahead of South Asian Heritage Month
Tuesday 16 July 2024 16:12, UK
England youth international Asmita Ale is poised to join Leicester City, Sky Sports News understands.
Ale, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Leicester from Tottenham, was the only footballer from Britain's South Asian community - male or female - to play top-division football in England last season.
The full-back played in Leicester's Women's FA Cup victory against Birmingham City, before featuring in the quarter-final win against Liverpool to help the Foxes reach the last four of the competition for the first time in their history.
Ale spent more than a decade at Aston Villa, penning a pro deal with the West Midlands club at 18 and becoming the first Nepali-heritage player ever to sign a professional contract in English football.
The 22-year-old made 18 appearances in Villa's debut WSL campaign, helping the team keep three clean sheets in their last five games of the season before joining Tottenham in the summer of 2021.
The defender is an England youth international, who has played across different age groups, most recently at the inaugural U23 European League.
Ale was named in the 2023/24 British South Asians in Football Team of the Season, earning her place in the side for the second straight season.
Aqsa Mushtaq has penned a new one-year deal at OFI Crete after a stunning debut campaign with the club.
Bradford-born Mushtaq, who features in the first timeline documenting the history of South Asian heritage players in the modern women's game, helped OFI to a second-placed finish behind all-conquering PAOK, scoring 10 league goals and contributing eight assists.
OFI Crete said in a statement: "Aqsa, with her countless experiences abroad, continues to be an irreplaceable part of our team.
"It's no coincidence that she has been selected in the 2023/24 South Asians in Football Team of the Season on Sky Sports.
"This distinction, which honours male and female footballers of South Asian origin, affirms Aqsa's unquestionable quality and passion for football.
"We wish Aqsa a year full of goals, success and passion, without injuries. We are confident she will continue to impress us and raise the bar high."
Mushtaq moved to OFI Crete last year after Sky Sports News revealed the attacking midfielder was on the verge of joining the club.
Sky Sports News broke the news that Mushtaq - who spent the second half of the 2022/23 season at Championship side Lewes FC - was set for a return to Greece where she has a big reputation as a player.
Mushtaq previously played for Crete-based Avantes Chalkida, winning the league's Most Valuable Player award.
The winger is a graduate of Lenoir-Rhyne University where she scored 13 goals in 17 matches in her final season at the North Carolina-based college.
In 2019, she was named South Atlantic Conference Player of the Year, helping her secure a move to Napoli, where she became the first player of Pakistani heritage to join a women's team playing in Italy's top division.
The South Asians in Football Team of the Season went on show in Gravesend on Saturday as Punjab United hosted Sporting Khalsa at the Steve Cook Stadium - in the second annual celebratory fixture between the two sides ahead of South Asian Heritage Month, which runs from July 18 to August 17.
Punjab United and Sporting Khalsa both have Sikh owners and both teams play in Step 4 of the National League System, in the eighth tier of English football.
Millie Chandarana - who featured in the team and was the only British South Asian with a professional contract in the Women's Championship last season - said she was proud her story was being showcased and to play her part in raising positive awareness.
"It's great that the Team of the Season can be showcased at such an amazing game that is now happening for the second year in a row," she told Sky Sports News.
"I think it's also down to the great talent that is on the pitch now across the UK - that being showcased is amazing in itself because everybody should know about the great South Asian talent in the UK.
"Hopefully in years to come there will be so many more people coming into that team. It's just really nice knowing that it is going to be showcased at an event and a game like that."
For more stories, features and videos, visit our ground-breaking South Asians in Football page on skysports.com and stay tuned to Sky Sports News and our Sky Sports digital platforms.
