Purushothaman exits Blasters, set to join Odisha as head coach

Kochi: Former Kerala Blasters coach TG Purushothaman is poised to take over as Odisha FC head coach for the upcoming season. Kerala Blasters announced Thursday that they have mutually agreed to part ways with Purushothaman.TOI understands that Odisha FC has offered him a one-year contract with an option to extend it by another year.Purushothaman will become the first Keralite to be appointed head coach of an ISL club on a full-time basis. While Bino George and Shameel Chembakath have previously served as head coaches, their roles were only interim appointments. This is the first time that an ISL club has directly appointed a Keralite as head coach. He will replace Sergio Lobera, who left Odisha FC last November."I consider this a huge challenge. Many said that moving to a club like Odisha, which is facing several off-field issues, involves an element of risk. But I see it as a different kind of challenge," Purushothaman said.Odisha are the last club to formally begin operations this season, and most of their foreign players have already departed, with Spanish defender Delgado currently the only foreigner in the squad.Purushothaman's reputation rose significantly last season when he served as an interim coach of Kerala Blasters alongside Tomasz Tchórz after Mikael Stahre's exit. His handling of a turbulent period drew praise across the league. Purushothaman completed his AFC Pro Licence last year, making him eligible to coach from the touchline.