East Bengal agree transfer of head coach Anthony Andrews from Gokulam Kerala in record deal

East Bengal’s debut season in the IWL was not up to mark.

Shrachi Sports backed East Bengal women’s team have agreed to sign Gokulam Kerala’s head coach and two-time Indian Women’s League (IWL) champion Anthony Andrews by paying a record amount in IWL history, Khel Now can exclusively confirm. East Bengal have offered a two-year contract to Anthony which he is set to sign soon.

The 28-year-old AFC A license-holder coach had a year left on his contract after having signed a two-year contract extension with the Malabar side in the summer of 2023. Gokulam Kerala, under the tutelage of young Anthony Andrews, won back-to-back IWL titles. 

However, Gokulam missed the chance of claiming the third consecutive IWL title under Andrews after falling short by two points against Crispin Chhetri’s Odisha FC in the 2023-24 season. 

The Shrachi Group took over the operations of the East Bengal women’s team in the summer and identified Anthony to take over the reigns of the Red and Gold. However, sources close to the Kolkata-based club have confirmed that the negotiations were intense between East Bengal and Gokulam Kerala and the club took more than three months to conclude the deal. 

East Bengal’s management initially tried to negotiate a mutual termination of Anthony Andrews’ contract with Gokulam Kerala, hoping to secure the coach’s transfer without a transfer fee. However, after several attempts, it became clear that Gokulam Kerala were not willing to release Andrews without compensation.

As a result, East Bengal decided to proceed with paying the compensation fee. The clubs held multiple rounds of discussions, carefully going over the finer points of the agreement.

“It was a challenging process, but both sides were committed to finding a resolution that worked for everyone. In the end, the clubs had to make sure all the details were meticulously covered to ensure a smooth transfer.”, A source privy to the information told Khel Now wishing to remain anonymous.

In their debut IWL campaign last season, East Bengal managed to accumulate only four points from 12 games. However, with the recent partnership with Shrachi Group, the club are now aiming for a more ambitious IWL campaign.

The club have already reached agreements with several domestic and foreign players and these deals are expected to be finalized in the coming weeks.

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