KOLKATA (India): East Bengal on Friday named former England international Robbie Fowler as coach for their first season in the Indian Super League (ISL).
The 45-year-old former Liverpool striker quit as manager at Australian club Brisbane Roar this year.
“We have signed the contract last night and Robbie Fowler is expected to join the side directly in Goa within a week,” East Bengal owner Hari Mohan Bangur told the PTI news agency.
Former India captain Rennedy Singh will be Fowler’s deputy. Rennedy is a former East Bengal captain as well.
The industrialist said that Fowler would start on a two-year contract “which could be extended in due course”.
Premier League’s all-time seventh highest goal scorer with 163 strikes to his name, the former English striker was a product of Liverpool youth academy and made his senior team debut in 1993.
East Bengal were named as the 11th side in the ISL which is expected to start in November and be held behind closed doors at three venues because of coronavirus.
Since ending his much-travelled playing career in 2012, Fowler has been coach at Muangthong United in Thailand before moving to Liverpool’s academy in 2013 and then Brisbane last year where he stayed until the pandemic halted play in March.
Fowler will join Phil Brown, coach at Hyderabad, and ex-Burnley boss Owen Coyle, now at Jamshedpur, among Britons coaching in the seven-year-old ISL.
Head coach: Robbie Fowler
Assistant coach: Anthony Grant
Indian Assistant Coach: Renedy Singh
Set piece coach: Terence McPhillips
Goalkeeping coach: Robert Mimms
Sports Scientist: Jack Inman
Physiotherapist: Michael Harding
Analyst: Joseph Walmsley
