Article by Alexandru Tomuțiu – Published Sunday, March 29, 2026 11:18 p.m. / Updated Sunday, March 29, 2026 11:48 p.m.
Jermaine Defoe (43), the former striker with over 400 Premier League appearances, has been announced as the new manager of Woking, a team in the English fifth tier National League.
Defoe succeeds Neal Ardley as the team sit 11th with seven rounds of the season remaining.
Jermain Defoe, installed in England's fifth division: “I can't wait to get started”
Jermain Defoe, presented by Woking // photo: X
This will be the former England international's first experience as a head coach, having served as Gerrard's second-in-command at Rangers and working in Tottenham's youth teams.
His bench debut is scheduled for Friday, April 3 against Eastleigh. Until then, the interim technical staff of Craig Ross, Jake Hyde and Dale Gorman will continue to manage the team, including Tuesday night's game against Altrincham.
In his first statements, Defoe appeared enthusiastic about the new challenge. “Woking is a historic club with enormous potential and I am delighted to be part of this exciting project. I can't wait to start”, he said, according to abola.pt. Defoe's formal arraignment is scheduled for Wednesday morning.
Jermain Defoe, when he was playing in England
Defoe ended his football career in the year 2020, his last club being Rangers. He also played for West Ham, Bournemouth, Tottenham, Portsmouth, Toronto FC and Sunderland.
He collected no less than 57 matches in the shirt of the England national team. During this time, he managed to score 20 goals. He has only two trophies in his record. The League Cup, won in 2008 with Tottenham, and the Scottish title, won with Rangers (2021).
