Defoe departs Woking after club cites 'growing concerns'

Jermain Defoe has left Woking after a short spell in charge, the National League club saying his exit followed “growing concerns”. Jody Brown, the club’s director of football, said the former Tottenham striker failed to turn up for training and Defoe’s contract was mutually terminated on Thursday after four months in charge.

Defoe, 43, was overseeing his first managerial role at the club. During his tenure he was in charge for six matches, a period that produced two wins and one defeat. The former England forward spoke openly about his departure, calling his time at Woking an “eye-opening” experience and saying it was “impossible for me to continue”.

Woking framed the decision as one reached in response to concerns that had developed within the organisation. Jody Brown, identified by the club as director of football, told club officials and stakeholders that Defoe had “failed to turn up for training”. The statement underlined that the split was not unilateral, noting the contract was “mutually terminated on Thursday”.

Those monitoring Defoe’s first foray into management had seen mixed results on the field. Across six fixtures, the team recorded two victories and suffered a single defeat, with the remainder of results outside that win-loss breakdown. The figures provide a snapshot of a brief spell that did not extend beyond the four-month mark.

Defoe himself offered succinct comments when the termination was announced. He described his time with the club as an “eye-opening” experience and added that it had become “impossible for me to continue”. Those quotations were made public alongside the club’s explanation of events.

The club and Defoe have formally ended their working relationship after the short tenure. The mutual termination on Thursday closes a four-month chapter for the 43-year-old manager and the National League side, leaving the club to address the issues it said prompted the decision.