Former Tottenham star Jermain Defoe lands first managerial job as surprise move confirmed

Former Tottenham and England striker Jermain Defoe has been appointed manager of National League side Woking, with the ex-Spurs star taking charge of the non-league club in his first managerial role

Ex-England and Tottenham forward Jermain Defoe has been named as the new manager of National League team Woking in an unexpected development. It marks the forward's first step into such a role.

The non-league club released a statement saying: "Woking Football Club is pleased to confirm the appointment of Jermain Defoe as the club's new Manager.

"Defoe joins the club following a distinguished playing career at the highest levels of the game and has built coaching experience through his work within the academy structure at Tottenham Hotspur and in a player-coach role at Rangers FC as part of Steven Gerrard's coaching staff.

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"Following a detailed recruitment process, the club identified Defoe as the candidate whose values, leadership style and footballing philosophy best aligned with its long-term vision."

Club Chairman Todd Johnson commented: "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."

Meanwhile, Defoe stated: "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."

Defoe, 43, began his professional journey with West Ham United before enjoying stints at Tottenham Hotspur, Portsmouth, Toronto FC, Sunderland, Bournemouth and Rangers throughout a near 25-year playing career.

Across 763 club appearances, he netted 305 goals. Defoe also earned 57 caps for the England national team over 13 seasons, finding the back of the net on 20 occasions.

Defoe has previously dipped his toe into management, having formed part of an interim coaching setup at former club Rangers back in 2021. However, this marks the first occasion that he has assumed sole managerial responsibility.

Woking presently occupy 11th position in the National League standings on 53 points. Defoe will participate in an introductory press conference on Wednesday, 1st April, with the existing interim trio of Craig Ross, Jake Hyde and Dale Gorman overseeing the team for Tuesday's encounter against Altrincham.

This means Defoe's maiden match in charge of the club will arrive next Friday with a home fixture against Eastleigh. Following that, they will then face four remaining matches of the campaign, with a late surge for promotion appearing extremely improbable at this juncture.