Calcutta: Trevor James Morgan is back as coach of East Bengal, football secretary Santosh Bhattacharya confirmed here on Wednesday. The British coach will start his second innings for the city club after a gap of nearly three years. He had left after the 2012-13 season.
Morgan will replace Biswajit Bhattacharya, who resigned on Monday following the humiliating loss against Bengaluru FC. "We have had a word with Morgan. He has agreed to take charge of East Bengal again. He will reach Calcutta either on Saturday or Sunday. He will be travelling to Shillong to watch East Bengal take on Lajong FC in the I-League.
"The contract, however, is only for the Federation Cup in May. We will decide about the next season only after having a discussion with him," the football secretary said, in a press conference here on Wednesday evening.
The club's executive committee met on Wednesday and unanimously decided that Morgan would be the new coach of the club.
During Morgan's tenure, East Bengal won the Federation Cup twice and were the runners-up in the I-League on two occasions. They also came third once.
He also guided the club to three Calcutta Football League titles and one IFA Shield triumph. East Bengal also won the Super Cup under his coaching. During Morgan's coaching from 2010 to 2013 , East Bengal played 178 matches and won 111.
Club secretary Kalyan Majumdar, who was also present in Wednesday's meeting, avoided making any comment about the new coach. In fact, Majumdar was not present when the football secretary announced Morgan's name as the new coach of the club. According to sources, the club officials also have discussed with some of the senior players.
Morgan has a prior contract with Kerala Blasters till June 2016. "He has a contract with Kerala Blasters. We are willing to have him as coach for the next season. But the decision will be entirely his," the football secretary added. According to sources, Morgan wants his own group of support staff, but the club is yet to accept those terms.