Werner Martens, Slaven Progoveki join Kerala Blasters coaching staff

The duo will join Ivan Vukomanovic and Patrick van Kets at the Yellow Army soon.

Indian Super League (ISL) outfit Kerala Blasters have announced that Werner Martens and Slaven Progoveki have joined the club’s coaching staff ahead of the upcoming 2021-22 season. Martens will be the strength and conditioning coach and Progoveki will be the goalkeeping coach for the club.

Martens comes to Kochi-based club with a wealth of experience. He has worked in the premier divisions of Belgium, Slovakia, the Netherlands and Saudi Arabia. Some of the teams that he has worked with include AS Trencin, Sporting Club Lokeren, VVV-Venlo, Beerschot, Willem II, Lommel SK and Waasland-Beveren. The 39-year-old has more than 10 years of experience in the area of football fitness and conditioning.

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Meanwhile, Progovecki comes with 20+ years of experience as a goalkeeping coach. He has worked with various clubs in and around Serbia. He was also the goalkeeping coach of the U-14 and U-15 Serbian national teams from 2019 to 2020.

Werner Martens and Slaven Progoveki are expected to arrive in India soon. They will join the Blasters' coaching staff which will be led by chief tactician Ivan Vukomanovic. Patrick Van Kets is the club's assistant coach.

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Kerala Blasters' pre-season preparations

After a disappointing campaign in ISL 2020-21, the Yellow Army are busy in preparation for the forthcoming season. They have already announced the signings of Sanjeev Stalin, Ruivah Hormipam and Vincy Barretto.

Additionally, the club have also roped in Harmanjot Khabra from Bengaluru FC, while Denechandra Meitei and Sandeep Singh have been tied down to the side by means of long-term contracts.

It was in June that Kerala Blasters announced the appointment of Ivan Vukomanovic as their new head coach. The Serbian is the club's 12th coach appointment in their relatively-short seven-year history and replaced Kibu Vicuna, who parted ways with them mid-way through the 2020-21 season.

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