Indian club East Bengal on Friday named former England international Robbie Fowler as coach for their first season in the Indian Super League.
The 45-year-old former Liverpool striker gave up as manager at Australian club Brisbane Roar this year and is expected to quickly join up with his new players.
"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 Press Trust of India news agency, confirming media reports in recent days.
The industrialist said that Fowler would start on a two-year contract "which could be extended in due course".
East Bengal were last month named as the 11th side in the growing ISL which is expected to start in November and be held behind closed doors at three venues because of the coronavirus pandemic.
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.
John Denham
