Mumbai, Nov 14 (IANS) Former winner Mumbai City FC have appointed Ashvir Singh Johal as their new head coach for the remainder of the 2026-27 Indian Super League (ISL) season, the club announced on Saturday.

The 31-year-old English coach, who holds a UEFA Pro Licence, will take charge of the Islanders after gaining coaching experience across England and Italy. He will arrive in India and join the team shortly.

Born in Leicester, Johal began his football journey as a player and coach at local non-league club Guru Nanak Gurdwara FC before joining Leicester City's academy. He spent 10 years working across the club's youth development system, coaching players up to the Under-18 level.

He moved into senior first-team coaching during the 2022-23 season as assistant coach to former Arsenal defender Kolo Toure at Wigan Athletic. He subsequently joined Italian club Como, where he worked under Cesc Fabregas with the Primavera team during the 2023-24 season.

Johal later took charge of Notts County's B team between 2024 and 2025 before being appointed head coach of Morecambe FC in 2025. At the time, he became the youngest head coach in the top five divisions of English football.

Mumbai City director of football Sujay Sharma said the appointment followed a detailed selection process and that the club was impressed by Johal's coaching philosophy, experience and focus on player development. "We were particularly impressed by his understanding of the modern game, his approach to coaching and his emphasis on developing players," Sharma said.

Acknowledging that Johal was at an early stage of his senior managerial career, Sharma expressed confidence in his ability to take the club forward.

"We recognise that Ashvir is at an early stage of his senior managerial career. However, we believe that his experience, footballing ideas, ambition and alignment with the Club's philosophy make him the right person for this opportunity. We are confident in our decision and look forward to supporting him as he takes on this responsibility," he added.

Sharma also stressed that the club's immediate priority would be to get the best out of the existing squad, compete at the highest level and provide opportunities for Indian players to establish themselves.

Johal expressed excitement at taking charge of Mumbai City and said the club's established identity and footballing philosophy played an important role in his decision.

"I am delighted to join Mumbai City FC and take on the responsibility of leading the Club. Mumbai City has established a strong identity and a clear footballing philosophy, and the alignment between that vision and my own approach to the game was an important factor in my decision," he said.

The new head coach said his immediate focus would be on building team unity, setting the right standards and preparing the squad to compete in every match. "We have a talented squad, and my immediate focus will be on building a strong collective, establishing the right standards and preparing the team to compete in every match," Johal added.

Mumbai City had earlier parted ways with Manolo Marquez for the remainder of the 2026-27 season. Johal's appointment marks the beginning of a new chapter for the club as it looks to strengthen its campaign under a new coaching setup.

--IANS

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