Jermain Defoe: Former England striker leaves role as Woking manager after four months

Former England striker Jermain Defoe has described his first managerial job after leaving National League side Woking after just four months and six league games in charge as an “eye-opening experience”.

The 43-year-old was selected to replace Neal Ardley in March and helped the club finish 10th in the table last season, winning two of those six games.

But on Thursday Woking confirmed that Defoe’s tenure had ended abruptly two weeks before the new season’s opening game against Sutton United after they “mutually agreed to part ways with immediate effect”.

“Unfortunately, circumstances have made it impossible for me to continue in this position,” Defoe said in an Instagram post.

“I am extremely proud of the work that has been done during my time at the club and felt that we were building something truly special.

“My time at Woking FC has been an eye-opening management experience and will undoubtedly make me stronger for the next challenge of my career.”

Defoe’s ninth and final game in charge of Woking was a 1-0 defeat to Braintree Town in three pre-season friendlies on Tuesday.

He scored 305 goals in 763 senior appearances for clubs including West Ham, Tottenham, Portsmouth and Sunderland before retiring in 2022.

Defoe, who has scored 20 goals in 57 international appearances, was part of the interim coaching staff at Rangers in 2021 and then worked in the Spurs academy, before leaving to take up a full-time managerial role in 2024.