East Bengal, on Friday, appointed Bastab Roy as their head coach for the upcoming I-League season.
Following a mediocre 2017-18 season, the club had sacked Khalid Jamil. And Bastab was one of the leading contenders for the post.
East Bengal finished fourth in the I-League with 31 points from 18 outings and failed to beat Bengaluru FC in the final of the Super Cup.
Bastab said he was looking forward to work with the club’s technical director Subhash Bhowmick to help it win the league next season.
Bastab has tasted success as an assistant coach with Indian Super League (ISL) side Atletico de Kolkata, when they won the title in 2016.
The local players from East Bengal, it is learnt, will start their pre-season training from June 1.
“Miserable performance by Khalid Jamil. We have already sent a letter to him that we cannot continue with him at the present moment,” East Bengal secretary Kalyan Majumder had said.
Having guided Aizawl FC to their maiden I-League triumph, Jamil was roped in with a two-year contract. But the contract had a clause that allowed both parties to part ways after six months with a notice period of two months.
With inputs from PTI
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!