Penang FA are reportedly set to hire former Bengaluru FC boss Ashley Westwood as their head coach for the 2017 Malaysia Super League season.
The Panthers have been looking to bolster their squad after narrowly avoiding relegation this year and they appear to have earmarked the 40 year-old Englishman as the right person for the job.
He is rumoured to have visited the Batu Kawan Stadium in the last few days and apparently held talks with senior leaders of Penang FA.
“Penang FA and Ashley have been discussing terms and conditions for a few days now, and the deal looks imminent at this juncture,” a source close to the club told FourthOfficial.com
That said, there has been no official confirmation from the club just yet, so it remains to be seen if the deal actually goes through in the next few days.
Westwood was started his football career with Manchester United’s youth set-up, before going on to play for a host of English clubs across various divisions. He started his managerial career by becoming a player-manager for Kettering Town in 2012, before making the jump to India to take charge of Bengaluru in 2013.
Under his tutelage, Bengaluru won its first I-League title in 2014, making Westwood the youngest coach to have won the league. Despite losing the title by two points in the next season, he went on to inspire a revival and lead the Blues to their second league title in 2016.
Despite evolving into a cult hero in Bengaluru, Westwood opted to leave the club by mutual consent in May 2016.
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