Gareth Southgate’s new job with with ex-Liverpool chief | Football | Sport
Southgate has suggested he may never return to management as his career takes a different path. The 55-year-old has announced the creation of a new podcast, The Football Boardroom, which he will host alongside former Liverpool and Aston Villa executive Christian Purslow and journalist Henry Winter. Southgate has promised to reveal insights from his dealings with club officials, managers and owners throughout his eight-year spell as England boss.
He said in a statement: “What happens in the Football Boardroom? It’s time to find out. Along with my business partner Jimmy Worrall, I’m pleased to announce the launch of a new podcast, The Football Boardroom.
“It’s a project that’s been some time in the making, and one that comes directly from my experiences inside the game. As England Manager, I was invited into every Premier League boardroom whenever I attended a match.
“While I was there primarily to watch players, another important part of the role was building relationships with managers, football directors, chief executives and, when they were present, owners.
“Over eight years, that added up to well over a thousand opportunities to observe how football clubs really function behind the scenes. The decisions, the dynamics, the personalities.”
Reflecting on his experiences watching elite clubs operate from within, he continued: “It offered a remarkable insight into the business of the game and the people who shape it.
“What became clear very quickly was that success or failure in football isn’t decided solely on the training ground, in the dugout or on the pitch. Those moments are influenced, sometimes decisively, by a much bigger game being played off the pitch.
“A game of money, power and politics, often conducted behind closed doors, where the stakes are extraordinarily high. The Football Boardroom aims to open those doors.”
Among the executives Southgate encountered throughout this period was Purslow, who served as Villa’s chief executive from 2018 to 2023. Before that appointment, he occupied senior roles at Liverpool.
