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I-League: Khalid Jamil arrives in Kolkata to sign record-breaking deal with East Bengal

I-League: Khalid Jamil arrives in Kolkata to sign record-breaking deal with East Bengal

I-League winning coach Khalid Jamil will arrive in Kolkata on Wednesday morning to sign a two-year deal with city giants East Bengal that will see him pocket 1.25 crores, making him the highest paid Indian coach in the history of India's top tier football league.

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As Goal had first revealed, Jamil had agreed terms with the Red and Golds almost a fortnight ago and will now be completing the formalities in his one-day tour of the city of joy.

Jamil, a former India international, had been at the helm of Mumbai FC for seven seasons but made a name for himself as a coach only after guiding Aizawl FC to I-League glory last season.

The club has already signed a number of players including Lalramchullova, Mahmoud Al Amna and Brandon Vanlalremdika, all part of the Reds' fairytale journey last season, who will be reuniting with their coach.

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East Bengal, along with their arch-rivals Mohun Bagan, have held marathon talks with All India Football Federation (AIFF) - the governing body of the game - but will have to be content with a place in the I-League at least for this season. The Indian Super League (ISL) teams have to get the coach's name approved from the central body, so it remains unclear whether Khalid will be able to continue at the helm of the club in case they take part in the ISL next year.

East Bengal will likely start their pre-season training sessions in the second week of July, even though they face roadblocks to fill their rosters, with all players preferring ISL over the I-League.