Southgate says he sees no Premier League return and has hardly watched football
Former England manager Gareth Southgate told the Amol Rajan Connection podcast he does not see a scenario in which he returns to Premier League management. He said he stopped enjoying wins towards the end of his England tenure and has barely watched football since.
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The story, neutrally told
Mixed · 2Gareth Southgate, the former England men's manager, has all but ruled out a return to Premier League management, saying on the Amol Rajan Connection podcast: "I don't see a scenario where I do that." The GuardianLC ““I don’t see a scenario where I do that,” he said.” Read at The Guardian ↗ Arab NewsRC ““I don’t see a scenario where I do that,” Southgate told the Amol Rajan Connection podcast on a possible return to Premier League management.” Read at Arab News ↗ Mixed · 2Southgate said that towards the end of his time with England the wins stopped giving him lasting enjoyment, adding: "By the end, I didn't even enjoy the wins for any longer than a couple of minutes. So, I've hardly watched football." The GuardianLC “By the end, I didn’t even enjoy the wins for any longer than a couple of minutes. So, I’ve hardly watched football.” Read at The Guardian ↗ Arab NewsRC ““By the end, I didn’t even enjoy the wins for any longer than a couple of minutes. So, I’ve hardly watched football.”” Read at Arab News ↗ Mixed · 2Southgate, 56, said the last game he attended was the FA Cup final in May 2025, when his boyhood club Crystal Palace beat Manchester City to win their first trophy, and that he has not been to a football ground since; he said his "desire to be involved in football has changed". The GuardianLC “said he had not attended a game since watching his boyhood club Crystal Palace beat Manchester City in the FA Cup final last year.” Read at The Guardian ↗ Arab NewsRC “Southgate added he has not even visited a football stadium since going to see his first club Crystal Palace win the FA Cup final in May 2025.” Read at Arab News ↗
Mixed · 2He stepped down as England manager after the defeat by Spain in the Euro 2024 final, having led the team for almost eight years and to finals at Euro 2021 and Euro 2024 without ending the wait for a men's trophy since 1966. The GuardianLC “Southgate managed England for almost eight years and came close to ending their hunt for a first men’s trophy since the 1966 World Cup.” Read at The Guardian ↗ Arab NewsRC “Southgate led the Three Lions to two finals of the Euros in 2021 and 2024 but fell agonizingly short of ending England’s wait since 1966 to win a major tournament.” Read at Arab News ↗ Left · 1His only club management job was almost three and a half years at Middlesbrough after replacing Steve McClaren in 2006; he could not keep them in the Premier League in 2009, according to the Guardian. The GuardianLC “The 56-year-old’s only taste of club management came when he spent almost three and a half years at Middlesbrough after replacing Steve McClaren in 2006.” Read at The Guardian ↗ Mixed · 2Since leaving England, Southgate has launched a podcast, fronted a BBC documentary in which he travelled the UK to understand the challenges facing young men and boys, and, according to Arab News, been a visiting lecturer at Harvard Business School. The GuardianLC “He has launched a podcast and fronted a BBC documentary this year in which he travelled across the UK to understand the challenges facing young men and boys.” Read at The Guardian ↗ Arab NewsRC “Southgate has been a visiting lecturer at Harvard Business School in Boston” Read at Arab News ↗
Left · 1Southgate said he has loved the last 18 months, having spent 37 years with his sense of self depending on "did I win or lose on Saturday", and described meeting politicians and media figures and learning about leadership as "playing a different film in my life". The GuardianLC ““I’ve had 37 years where my sense of self depended on did I win or lose on Saturday. And actually I’ve loved having different experiences.””“I’ve just enjoyed playing a different film in my life.” Read at The Guardian ↗ Right · 1Arab News also reported his comments on Manchester City's guilty verdict on over 100 charges of breaking Premier League rules, which City have appealed and deny; Southgate said "none of this is good for football and there are no winners" and called the situation "unbelievably complex". Arab NewsRC “City have appealed and deny any wrongdoing, plunging the world’s most watched league into limbo awaiting a final ruling and decision on any potential sanction.”““My underlying thought is none of this is good for football and there are no winners,” said Southgate.” Read at Arab News ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left1 outlet
- Framing
- Personal, human-interest piece centred on Southgate's loss of enjoyment in football and his distance from the game.
- Emphasis
- The burnout theme, his Middlesbrough record, his post-England projects and his sense of self no longer tied to results.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not mention his remarks on the Manchester City verdict.
- Charged language
- “all but ruled out”
- For example
-
“Gareth Southgate has all but ruled out a return to Premier League management and revealed he “didn’t even enjoy the wins” for more than a couple of minutes” — The Guardian
Centre0 outlets
No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Right1 outlet
- Framing
- Short news report on Southgate not foreseeing a return to coaching, adding his comments on the Manchester City ruling.
- Emphasis
- The broader no-return-to-management line, England's near misses, Harvard lecturing and the Premier League's legal limbo over City.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Leaves out his Middlesbrough record, his podcast and his remarks about 37 years of results-based identity.
- Charged language
- “agonizingly short”“rocked”“plunging the world’s most watched league into limbo”
- For example
-
“English football has been rocked in recent weeks by Manchester City’s guilty verdict on over 100 charges of breaking Premier League rules.” — Arab News
What every side reports
- Southgate said "I don't see a scenario where I do that" about returning to Premier League management.
- He said he has hardly watched football and has not been to a ground since the May 2025 FA Cup final won by Crystal Palace.
- He stepped down as England manager after Euro 2024 and is 56.
Where accounts differ
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How firmly Southgate has closed the door on management
- Left
- The Guardian says he has "all but ruled out" a Premier League return, specifically top-flight management.
- Right
- Arab News says he "does not foresee a return to management" or coaching in general, a broader framing than the quoted remark about the Premier League.
Gareth Southgate person
Says he sees no scenario in which he returns to Premier League management, that his desire to be involved in football has changed, and that he has enjoyed the past 18 months of different experiences. On the Manchester City case he says none of it is good for football and there are no winners.
“So my sort of desire to be involved in football has changed.” — The Guardian
““My underlying thought is none of this is good for football and there are no winners,” said Southgate.” — Arab News
UK and Ireland1 outlet
The Guardian focuses on Southgate's personal relationship with football and his life after England.
“So my sort of desire to be involved in football has changed.” — The Guardian
The Guardian
Middle East1 outlet
Arab News frames it as a no-return-to-coaching report and adds the Premier League's Manchester City dispute.
“City have appealed and deny any wrongdoing, plunging the world’s most watched league into limbo” — Arab News
Arab News
Left1 article
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Southgate ‘hardly watches’ football and does not envisage Premier League return
Sympathetic Portrays a manager who lost enjoyment in the job and has found fulfilment elsewhere.
Centre0 articles
No coverage yet.
Right1 article
-
Southgate does not foresee a return to management
Neutral Reports the no-return comments and pairs them with Southgate's view of the Manchester City verdict.
- 15 Oct 11:25 First The GuardianLC Southgate ‘hardly watches’ football and does not envisage Premier League return
- 15 Oct 14:42 +3h 18m Arab NewsRC Southgate does not foresee a return to management
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.
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