What’s the story?
Last year’s Indian Super League (ISL) runners-up, Kerala Blasters FC, have appointed former Shillong Lajong FC manager Thangboi Singto as assistant coach of their main team and as technical director of youth development. The 43-year-old sounded excited about his future and spoke about the club’s plans for youth development.
In an official statement, Singto said, “It is a huge step in my career. I now move to the other end of the country and am looking forward to the new experience. The club have some incredible plans for youth development and after more than three months of discussions, I am convinced we have a great project.”
Varun Tripuraneni, the Blasters’ new chief executive officer, said, “One of the main focus areas this season is the grassroots level to build our youth squads. Thangboi has done extremely well with young players and we believe he is the right man for the role.”
In case you didn’t know…
Singto acted as the assistant coach of NorthEast United FC in the inaugural season of the ISL. He has also worked with I-League side Shillong Lajong FC and has garnered much appreciation for his work. In the recently concluded I-League, he guided Shillong Lajong to a fifth-place finish.
However, at the end of the domestic season, he parted ways with the Meghalaya-based club, thus bring an end to his four-year tenure.
The heart of the matter
Reportedly, the Blasters had first contacted Singto around three months back. When Steve Coppell visited India during this year’s Federation Cup, they further strengthened their resolve to get the manager on board.
Also read: ISL round-up: Tata Steel make their first signing, Kerala Blasters rope in I-League manager
After negotiations, the contract was signed on Saturday. Interestingly, though, Coppell is yet to renew his contract and is waiting for clarity on the rules of the ISL before committing his future to the Sachin Tendulkar co-owned club.
What’s next?
This year’s ISL will be the fourth season of the franchise-based tournament. Apart from the eight teams, two new teams – Bengaluru FC and an un-named team from Jamshedpur – will take part this year. The Blasters will look to replicate their performance from last year and if possible, better it.
Author’s take
Singto is known for nurturing young talents and giving them opportunities at the highest level. At Shillong, he relied on youngsters like Issac Vanlalsawma and Nim Dorjee Tamang to produce the goods and his appointment by the Blasters is undoubtedly a good move.
