Gareth Southgate says a comeback in Premier League club management isn't on his radar, closing the door on one of football's biggest what-ifs.
Gareth Southgate has made his position clear: don't expect to see him pacing a Premier League touchline any time soon. The former England boss says he doesn't see himself going back into club management in England's top flight.
The admission will disappoint anyone who expected one of the English game's best-known coaches to land a big job after leaving the national team. Southgate stepped down after England lost the Euro 2024 final to Spain. It was his second straight major tournament final, following the Euro 2020 final defeat, and he also led the Three Lions to the 2018 World Cup semi-finals.
His only previous spell in club management came at Middlesbrough, from 2006 to 2009, which ended with relegation from the Premier League. Since then, his reputation has been built almost entirely on international football, where he rebuilt England's culture and made deep tournament runs the norm rather than the exception.
With Southgate stepping back from the idea of a Premier League return, the pool of high-profile managers available for top-flight vacancies looks a little shallower. For now, one of the most decorated coaching careers in recent English football appears set to stay away from the weekly grind of the league.
