Kerala Blasters FC confirmed the sacking of head coach Mikael Stahre along with assistant coaches Björn Wesström and Frederico Pereira Morais on 16 December 2024. Stahre and his coaching team were appointed ahead of the 2024-25 season, but Kerala's upsetting performance in the Indian Super League recent matches led to their departure midway through the season.

Kerala Blasters has suffered an unprecedented series of results in their last seven ISL matches, winning only one amongst them. The side faced a shocking defeat against Mohun Bagan in their last outing on Saturday as the Kolkata side snatched all three points in the final minutes.

🚨 CLUB STATEMENT 🚨

Kerala Blasters FC confirms that Head Coach Mikael Stahre, along with Assistant Coaches Björn Wesström and Frederico Morais, have left their respective roles with immediate effect.

Read the full statement on the club website ⏬#KBFC
— Kerala Blasters FC (@KeralaBlasters) December 16, 2024

Kerala Blasters' authority finally ran out of patience and decided to part ways with Stahre and his staff and the club currently stands in the 10th position on the league table, having earned 11 points in 12 matches. The club confirmed that the reserve team's head coach Tomasz Tchórz, along with assistant coach TG Purushothaman, will take charge of the first team on an interim basis until a new head coach is appointed.

ℹ️ Till the new appointment is confirmed, Kerala Blasters FC's Reserve Team Head Coach and Head of Youth Development, Tomasz Tchórz and assistant coach, TG Purushothaman will take over the responsibility of managing the First Team. #KBFC #KeralaBlasters pic.twitter.com/G3Nese0CFl
— Kerala Blasters FC (@KeralaBlasters) December 17, 2024

However, the speculations regarding the next head coach appointment for Kerala have already been started. As it has been confirmed that a new coach will be appointed in two or three weeks, there have been many reports and rumours about who will be the next Kerala gaffer. Sportz Point explores the names that have strongly come up and also the rumours.

Antonio Lopez Habas

ISL | ATK appoints Antonio López Habas as new head coach — (Image Credit | Sportscafe.in)

90ndstoppage have exclusively confirmed that Kerala Blasters are pushing for Antonio Lopez Habas to appoint him as the next head coach. The current Inter Kashi boss has been shortlisted by Kerala Blasters and soon they may open talks with him.

The Spanish manager needs no introduction to Indian football fans. Habas is arguably the most successful coach in ISL history, with 2 ISL Cups and one ISL league shield brightening his profile. The 67-year-old manager led Mohun Bagan SG to their maiden league shield title last season before I-League side Inter Kashi roped him in ahead of the 2024-25 season.

Antonio Lopez Habas is one of the names being considered by Kerala Blasters FC as their next head coach, can exclusively confirm! ✅🇪🇸

ISL Shield & 2x ISL Cup winner is highly appreciated by the club. 👏

Habas recently joined I-League club Inter Kashi. #90ndstoppage pic.twitter.com/6chmQAol0z
— 90ndstoppage (@90ndstoppage) December 17, 2024

Habas is one of the most experienced coaches in Indian football and may fit as a good option for the Kerala side, but signing him will be very difficult. Inter Kashi has aimed to build a passionate project with Habas at the helm, and the I-League side will not be keen to release him.

Sergio Lobera

Mumbai City FC winning the ISL Shield was about being strong mentally: Coach Sergio Lobera | Football News - Hindustan Times — (Image Credit | Hindustan Times)

The current Odisha FC head coach Sergio Lobera is another name who has reportedly been shortlisted by Kerala Blasters. According to Malayala Manorama, Kerala Blasters are in a 'desperate attempt' to bring the 47-year-old Spanish as the new head coach.

Sergio Lobera, who is the current boss of another ISL side Odisha FC, is one of the most decorated coaches in Indian football recently. Lobera coached FC Goa to win the Super Cup in the 2018-19 season which was his maiden silverware in Indian football. Lobera also won the ISL League shield and ISL Cup both in the 2020-21 season with Mumbai City FC.

Sergio Lobera new Coach??

Decision within 2 weeks#KBFC #KeralaBlasters
Reported by Malayala Manorama pic.twitter.com/5t34vPSfzD
— JAY (@jaycibby) December 17, 2024

Another source reported that Kerala may push for him again in the summer of 2025 as a move in the winter transfer window in January 2025 looks very unlikely. His tenure at Odisha will also depend on his current club's performance in the ongoing season.

The Rumours debunked

Ivan Vukomanovic is not on the shortlist of coaches at Kerala Blasters. Des Buckingham is also a name that is wrongly doing the rounds. KBFC are expected to bring in a coach in next few weeks.#IndianFootball #ISL #KBFC
— Marcus Mergulhao (@MarcusMergulhao) December 16, 2024

Des Buckingham

ISL 2022-23: Des Buckingham, the head coach who gave Mumbai City FC wings to fly - Sportstar — Des Buckingham.

Rumours have suggested that former Mumbai City FC head coach Des Buckingham is in talks with Kerala Blasters for the vacant position. The 39-year-old Englishman has just left his last position as the head coach of the EFL Championship side Oxford United on 15 December 2024.

Buckingham enjoyed great success during his two-year stint in India. He won the 2022-23 ISL league title with Mumbai City FC before leaving the club in November 2023. Mumbai City FC also qualified for the 2023-24 AFC Champions League Elite (formerly known as AFC Champions League) under the managerial radar of Des Buckingham, and the coach left a great mark in Indian football.

However, there has been no authentic news yet about Buckingham's rumoured return to India as Kerala's head coach. Renowned Times of India journalist Marcus Mergulhao has also confirmed that this news is 'wrongly doing the rounds'. Without any further development, Buckingham is unlikely to return to India.

Ivan Vukomanovic

ISL: Kerala Blasters FC axe Ivan Vukomanovic as head coach — (Image Credit | Scroll.in)

Kerala fans are clamoring for former Kerala boss Ivan Vukomanovic, who left the club earlier this year in April 2024. Vukomanovic was in charge for 68 games with the club and won 29 out of them. The 47-year-old Serbian has not taken any other job since his dismissal from Kerala and is currently available as a free agent.

Ivan failed to earn the ultimate glory with Kerala Blasters but became a fan-favourite among the Kerala supporters. During his 3-year spell in India, he took the side to the 2021-22 ISL final and three back-to-back playoff spots.

Ivan Vukomanović 🗣️“I'm still catching up on blasters match results over the internet & as a former coach, as a person who loves the club, it is very sad that we have not been able to win this season.” @ManoramaDaily #KBFC pic.twitter.com/ExpB2zbQc2
— KBFC XTRA (@kbfcxtra) December 18, 2024

However, Marcus Mergulhao also confirmed that Vukomanovic is not considered an ideal option for the Kerala team. The infamous walk-out incident affected the club severely, as the club had to pay a fine of 4 crores due to that incident. The hefty sanction led to the suspension of the Kerala Blasters' Women's team for 'financial constraints'. These two incidents quite block Ivan's return to the club.

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