ISL 2017: Steve Coppell likely to join Tata Steel team in Indian Super League

What’s the story?

Former Reading and Manchester City manager Steve Coppell is likely to be announced as Tata Group’s head coach in the upcoming Indian Super League (ISL) tournament.

The Ratan Tata-backed outfit will be playing its first season in the tournament and could receive a big boost to the camp following what could be a landmark appointment. A source close to the team told Sportskeeda, “We are in talks with Coppell over a role here in the team. We are not aware of his situation with the Kerala team, though.”

In case you didn’t know…

Steve Coppell is a former Manchester United player and has mixed it up with the very best in the English football scene and following his successful tenure in Europe, the 62-year-old took on the herculean task of making Asian club football among the world’s best. Coppell began working in India a significant while back and has tasted regular success, recently leading the Kerala Blasters team in the ISL to the final of the Indian club tournament.

Coppell also acts as a regular football pundit on several Indian football talk shows and match pre-shows making him a well-known personality in the Indian football circuit.

The heart of the matter

The relationship between Kerala Blasters and Coppell appears to have ended following a period of nothingness between the two parties for the past few weeks. If reports are to be believed, the two parties had differences over offering a retention contract for midfielder Mehtab Hossain, with Coppell being a strong advocate of the player and the club denying him the chance to retain the star.

The Sachin Tendulkar-owned outfit has since been in talks with former England under-21 manager and coach, Stuart Pearce making it almost certain that the road has hit a dead end with Coppell and Kerala Blasters. Steve Coppell’s easy transition to a different kind of game has not gone unnoticed and his appointment promises big things for the new Jamshedpur-based franchise.

What’s next?

The bitter relationship between manager and club had become apparent a while back, following the Mehtab Hossain episode. The professional nature of the game would have allowed for a release from the contract for the former Manchester City boss and as things stand, the Tata Group offers a new adventure for Coppell.

Author’s take

As the ISL continues to grow, money in the sport in India is at an all-time high. With big businessmen such as Tata entering the fray, Indian football may be heading towards a bright future making the upcoming Under-17 world cup opportunity all that more special and a promise of great things to come.