Non-league side Woking have appointed Jermain Defoe as their new manager, with the former England and Spurs forward taking his first step into management.
Defoe, 43, has limited coaching experience, but set his sights on becoming a manager when he retired from playing in 2022.
In August of that year, he took up a role as an academy coach at Tottenham, while he had a brief stint as Rangers caretaker manager while a player there in 2021, and he also helped out on Steven Gerrard’s coaching staff at the time.
He worked as a coach of the Under-18 team at his former side, before departing in July 2024 to focus on his managerial career. Now, he has taken his first permanent job in charge of a senior side.
Woking compete in the fifth tier of English football, currently sitting 11th in the National League table with faint hopes of qualifying for the play-offs. Former manager Neal Ardley and Assistant Manager Simon Bassey were sacked at the start of the month.
Defoe said upon his appointment: ‘Woking is a historic club with huge potential, and I’m thrilled to be part of this exciting project. I can’t wait to get started.’
As a player, Defoe featured 363 times for Tottenham in three different stints, while he also played for the likes of Portsmouth, Sunderland and West Ham.
At international level, he played 57 times for England, scoring 20 goals. He last played for the Three Lions in 2017.
Woking chairman Todd Johnson said of the appointment: ‘Jermain’s achievements as a player speak for themselves, but what stood out to us during the process was how he sees the game, how he drives standards, and his approach to leadership and player development.
‘We have a clear plan for where we want to go as a club, and we believe Jermain is the right person to build on the strong foundations already in place and help take us forward in the next phase of that journey.’
Paul Bracewell, also formerly of the likes of Sunderland and England, will be Defoe’s assistant at the club.
His first game in charge will be when Woking face Altrincham at home on Tuesday night.
