Heard on the Stands - Santosh Kashyap to replace Westwood as Bengaluru FC coach

UNCONFIRMED BUT SUSTAINED rumours have linked veteran Indian coach Santosh Kashyap to the now vacant job of the Bengaluru FC head coach.

Earlier today, it was announced by the club that their popular and highly successful gaffer Ashley Westwood was parting ways with the club after guiding it through its crucial first three years. 

The club management has not named Westwood's successor, and the gossip vines are ripe with speculation as to who will pick up the mantle to coach one of the most professional, successful and exemplary clubs around. And this is where Santosh Kashyap's name has come up multiple times.

Kashyap, who has been coaching I-League clubs since 2010, began with spells at Air India, Mohun Bagan, and ONGC. He garnered a lot of reputation while coaching two Shillong clubs, Rangdajied United and Royal Wahingdoh. Especially at Wahingdoh, he had a team of mostly local youngsters, and led them to a respectable 3rd position in the league. 

This season, Kashyap was appointed at Salgaocar midway through the season when the team was at the bottom of the table, set on a course to relegation. Under him, the club made some sort of a turnaround and just about managed to escape relegation.

There's no doubt that Kashyap delivers best when handling a team full of youth in a club with a strong emphasis towards developing young players and promoting them to the first team. Bengaluru FC, over the last 3 years under Westwood, have developed under-squads with a similar vision; and have successfully introduced players like Malsawmzuala and Udanta Singh into first team football. So there are reasons to believe he would thrive in the Bengaluru FC's highly professional setup, it remains to be seen how he would do when it comes to maintain the fine balance between long term talent development and immediate charge for success with a star-studded heavyweight first team that Westwood maintained so well during his tenure.