Gareth Southgate Rules Out Premier League Return, Says He Stopped Enjoying Wins

• Former England head coach Sir Gareth Southgate says he does not “see a scenario where I do that” when asked about a return to Premier League management.
• Southgate says he stopped enjoying wins late in his time with England, and that his desire to be involved in football has changed.
• On the Manchester City financial rules case, which City have appealed, he says “none of this is good for football and there are no winners”.

Southgate Says the Wins Stopped Lasting Longer Than a Couple of Minutes

Sir Gareth Southgate has closed the door on a return to the Premier League dugout. Asked in an interview on Amol Rajan’s podcast whether he would go back into club management, the former England head coach said he does not “see a scenario where I do that”.

The former Middlesbrough manager left management in the summer of 2024, when he led England to another Euros final and resigned after the 2-1 loss to Spain. In his time in charge he took England to two Euros finals and a World Cup semifinal.

“I Stopped Enjoying the Wins”

Southgate said the joy of winning had faded by the end of his England tenure. “I stopped enjoying the wins that keep you going,” he said. “By the end, I didn’t enjoy the wins for any longer than a couple of minutes.”

He has kept his distance from the game. “I’ve hardly watched football,” he said. He went to the Champions League final in 2025, the year after he left England, and to the FA Cup final to watch his team, Crystal Palace, win their first trophy. He has not been to a football ground after that.

“My desire to be involved in football has changed,” Southgate said. He described 37 years in which his sense of self depended on whether he won or lost on a Saturday, and said he has loved the last 18 months of his life. “I’ve loved having different experiences,” he said.

Those experiences, he said, include learning about the lives of young people, meeting politicians and people in the media industry, and travelling the world. “I’ve just enjoyed playing a different film in my life,” he said.

Why a Club Job Does Not Appeal

Southgate has been heavily involved in the push to understand the mental health struggles that young men and boys face. He took part in a BBC documentary that tried to encourage them to open up and talk about complex feelings.

He contrasted international football with a club job. “The beauty of England is I was coaching and there was a purpose to it,” he said. “If you go to a club, there’s not that same sense of purpose. Do these owners have the values that I have? Can we win?”

He added: “I’m not interested in survival.” Being a manager just for the salary holds no appeal for him: “That doesn’t excite me.”

“I’d rather make a bigger difference in my life in other areas than be at one training ground,” he said. “I’ve given every ounce I had to football and I just fancy a different period of my life.”

His Take on the Manchester City Case

Southgate and Rajan also discussed the Manchester City situation. Last month an independent panel found the club guilty of breaching the Premier League’s financial rules for a number of years. City have appealed the verdict.

Southgate said he expects a “tribal fans’ response” to the case. He said he has been in football boardrooms and in meetings with UEFA and FIFA, and “I know how complicated all of this is”.

“My underlying thought is none of this is good for football and there are no winners,” he said.