Former England and Premier League striking sensation Jermain Defoe is ready to embrace the managerial pressure cooker, stepping into his first permanent role as the boss of National League side Woking.
Replacing Neal Ardley, the 43-year-old is eager to not only guide his new club toward promotion but also serve as a pioneer for aspiring black managers in English football.
Defoe’s transition from the pitch to the dugout has been carefully calculated. After dipping his toes into coaching as a player-coach with Scottish heavyweights Rangers in 2021, he spent two years honing his craft within Tottenham Hotspur's academy system.
"It's been a long time coming," Defoe shared in a recent interview. "It was always the plan at the back end of my career when I knew I wanted to go into coaching and luckily enough that transition was quite smooth."
Woking currently sits 10th in the National League standings—11 points adrift of the playoff spots with just six games left in the regular season—following a recent 1-1 draw against Altrincham under interim manager Craig Ross. Despite the steep climb, Defoe is highly optimistic about the squad's potential and infrastructure.
"The main objective is, of course, to get promoted with the players we've got, some top players," he noted, expressing his admiration for the team based on his recent observations. "We're ambitious people, I want to do well. You have to be confident. I think you always have to back yourself, whether you're a player or a manager or a coach."
Taking on this role makes Defoe one of only five black managers currently operating across the top five tiers of English football. While he acknowledges the historical barriers faced by legendary peers like Les Ferdinand, Ian Wright, and Andy Cole, he remains focused on the universal pressures of football management rather than feeling excessively burdened by his trailblazer status.
"I would like to think going forward, other black managers now will get opportunities," Defoe stated. "I think there's always going to be expectation on any manager at any level. You're a manager of a football club that has to win."
Undeterred by starting his new chapter outside the Football League, Defoe is determined to prove his worth on the touchline. Recalling advice from his mother to be grateful for every opportunity, the former striker is ready to put in the hard hours and build a successful managerial legacy from the ground up.