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The 2017/18 Indian Super League season promises to be the biggest ever. With ten teams in the fold and the league set to run for five months next season, the ISL will not be the same anymore. Clubs have already set their sights on big signings with a view to mounting a title tilt in the forthcoming campaign.
Along with player recruitment, ISL franchises have also been keen on bringing in the best possible candidate to lead the players from the dugout, with as many as seven clubs appointing new head coaches.
The ISL will witness some big names in managerial positions at different clubs, with quite a few of them coming down to India having tasted elite level football in the past. Let us take a look at the five ISL head coaches who have managed clubs in the Premier League and La Liga.
John Gregory - Chennaiyin FC
Gregory has replaced Marco Materazzi at the helm of 2015 champions Chennaiyin FC and will be tasked to replicate the Italian's success in the forthcoming season.
The 63-year-old comes to India with a wealth of experience, having managed 161 Premier League games in his career. He spent his time in the Premier League with Derby County and Aston Villa and won 64 out of the 161 games in charge.
Antonio Habas - FC Pune City
Habas is the only head coach in the 2017/18 ISL season to have previously won the title. The 60-year-old Spaniard led Atletico de Kolkata to the first ISL crown in 2014 but has failed to replicate that achievement since. His stint with Pune City last season was a damp squib as the Orange-Purples were ousted at the league phase.
Habas's pedigree is well-known, and he has also managed in the top division of Spanish football, La Liga. Back in the 2004/05 season, Habas led Spanish giants Valencia for 14 games but could only win four games during the brief spell.
Steve Coppell - Tata Jamshedpur
Coppell, like Habas, is well-known in footballing circles because of his time in the top flight of English football, the Premier League. The former Kerala Blasters head coach has joined Tata Steel's new club from Jamshedpur and given his record in India, his appointment could be a coup for the new franchise.
The 62-year-old has been at the top level for many years, with his first foray into the Premier League coming as early as the 1992/93 season, when the famous league was rebranded. He has managed Crystal Palace and Reading in the Premier League in 146 matches, winning 42 of them.
Miguel Angel Portugal - Delhi Dynamos
The former Real Madrid midfielder has replaced Gianluca Zambrotta at the Delhi Dynamos head coach, and the 61-year-old will start with a clean slate after the Lions didn't retain any of the ex-players ahead of the domestic player draft.
Angel Portugal comes in with adequate La Liga experience, having managed Racing Santander for three seasons in the Spanish top flight. The former Real Valladolid and Atletico Paranaense manager has taken charge of 88 La Liga matches, winning only 25 of them.
Having seen Zambrotta's Dynamos play an attractive brand of football in ISL-3, Angel Portugal will have his task cut out to emulate the Italian.
Rene Meulensteen - Kerala Blasters
Meulensteen is famous for his spell at Manchester United where he worked as Sir Alex Ferguson's support staff. However, the Dutchman has also been in complete charge of teams in his long career, with a brief spell at Fulham being the highlight of his career.
Although Meulensteen's Fulham spell ended in disappointment, the 53-year-old's 13-game experience as a Premier League manager will stand him in good stead for any job, not least the Kerala Blasters one. Meulensteen won only three of his 13 matches in charge of Fulham in the 2013/14 season and played a part in the Cottagers' eventual relegation.
