Key Takeaways:
- Gareth Southgate departed his role as England manager in July 2024, shortly after the Euro final defeat to Spain
- Southgate stated that a return to Premier League management is “not high on my agenda” despite speculation linking him to clubs such as Manchester United and Wolves
- The former Three Lions boss has turned his focus to business ventures, leadership mentoring, media work, and advocating for positive role models among young people
Southgate Steps Back from Football and Explores New Pursuits
Sir Gareth Southgate, aged 55, concluded his eight-year tenure as England manager in July 2024, departing just two days after the national side suffered defeat to Spain in the European Championship final. Since stepping away from international management, Southgate has resisted an immediate return to the dugout, despite his name featuring in connection with several high-profile vacancies, including speculation around Manchester United.
'I'm very relaxed about not being in football at the moment'
Former England manager Sir Gareth Southgate spoke to #BBCBreakfast about if he'll return to managementhttps://t.co/OJQBpIAwo4 pic.twitter.com/3qdjNo9ZMK
— BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) November 3, 2025
Instead, the former Crystal Palace defender has diversified his career involvement. Southgate has dedicated time to delivering speeches, pursuing business interests, preparing for the release of his new leadership book this week, and is set to present a programme for the BBC. His decision to step back from football has also enabled him to spend more time with his family, travel, and enjoy golf.
In an interview with BBC Breakfast, Southgate described his experiences with England as “an amazing time” and highlighted his motivations for joining the FA, stating he aimed “to help English football become better, to help youth development in particular.” Reflecting on his path, he noted, “I somehow stumbled and ended up in the first-team manager’s job and we had a pretty good period.”
Premier League Opportunities and Speculation
Despite being linked with several club roles since his departure, Southgate clarified that returning to a managerial position is not currently a priority for him. Southgate openly addressed the possibility of a club return, saying, “Well, you can never say never because I’ve just seen Martin O’Neill at his age go to Celtic. But it’s not something that’s high on my agenda at the moment. I’m enjoying the work around leadership, I’m enjoying my work with young people, very determined to try and make a difference there. And so no, I’m very relaxed about not being in football at the moment.”
Focus on Youth Empowerment and Unity
In addition to his business and media commitments, Southgate remains passionate about mentorship and providing strong role models for young people, particularly young men. His recent Richard Dimbleby lecture centred on this piece of social advocacy.
Speaking in a separate BBC radio appearance, Southgate discussed the positive influence the national football team can have on unity across social, political, and racial divides in Britain. He observed, “there is more that unites us [in the UK] than divides us,” but noted that media narratives tend to emphasise separation.
He expanded on this by reflecting on his England tenure: “We had a huge disconnect with the public when we started. People saw us as high-ego players but we were able to turn that around. I saw the power that the team had to bring people together of every community. You want to give your kids the best possible start, but there is a point when they don’t want to listen to parents any more. I experienced that in my house in the same way everybody else will… but I do think this is an important space for us. There’s a negative narrative around our country at the moment and we’ve got to give young people hope, we’ve got to give them guidance. We’ve got incredible talent but we need them to find the right role models, the right friendship groups because those decisions have such a big impact on the rest of their lives. It’s understandable why people are disaffected. Economically lots of places are in tough situations now and that’s going to prompt desires for change. But I have seen the ability to unite the country. I saw during Covid people doing shopping for the neighbours and that’s when we as a nation are at our best, when we’ve been pushed into a corner and come out and shown resilience.”
