By Don’t expect to see Gareth Southgate back in a Premier League dugout anytime soon. The former England manager has said plainly that he does not see a scenario where he returns to club management in the Premier League.
Gareth Southgate, former England manager (Credits: BBC Sport)
Southgate, 56, has been out of management since resigning as Three Lions boss after Euro 2024, where England lost the final to Spain. He has not managed at club level since a three-year spell with Middlesbrough from 2006.
“I Don’t See a Scenario Where I Do That”
Speaking to The Amol Rajan Connection, Southgate was asked whether he would consider a Premier League return. His answer was blunt: “I don’t see a scenario where I do that.”
He went further, explaining how the joy had drained from the job toward the end of his England tenure: “Towards the end of my time with England, I stopped enjoying, at the very least for a period, the wins keep you going. By the end, I didn’t even enjoy the wins for any longer than a couple of minutes. So, I’ve hardly watched football.”
That detachment from the game is striking. Southgate revealed he went to the FA Cup final to see his team, Crystal Palace, win their first trophy — and hasn’t been to a football ground since. “So my sort of desire to be involved in football has changed,” he admitted.
Life After Football Management
The last 18 months have been anything but quiet for Southgate, though. He has worked in the media, fronted a BBC documentary travelling across the UK to understand challenges facing young men and boys, and spent time as a visiting lecturer at Harvard Business School in Boston.
“I’ve loved the last 18 months of my life,” he said. “I’ve had 37 years where my sense of self depended on did I win or lose on Saturday. And actually I’ve loved having different experiences. I’ve met politicians, I’ve met people in the media industry, I have learned about leadership in all sorts of areas, I’ve travelled around the world learning things. I’ve just enjoyed playing a different film in my life.”
On Manchester City’s Financial Case
Southgate also weighed in on the explosive finding that Manchester City were guilty of the majority of charges relating to breaches of the Premier League’s financial regulations between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons, including “sham contracts” used to artificially inflate revenue. The club has denied any wrongdoing and appealed on October 2.
“There’ll be the tribal fans’ response to punish Manchester City as much as we can, relegate them, fine them, do whatever you can,” Southgate said. But drawing on his experience in football boardrooms and meetings with UEFA and FIFA, he urged a broader view: “My underlying thought is none of this is good for football and there are no winners.”
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Source: BBC Sport — read the full story there.
