Jermain Defoe threatens legal action as he hits out at ‘untrue’ claims after leaving National League club Woking last week.
The 43 year old has departed from his first managerial role of his career just four months and six league games in charge, winning two of those and led them to 10th place.
Defoe, who has described his first managerial job as an ‘eye-opening experience’, mutually agreed to part
ways with immediate effect just two weeks before their opening match of the new season against Sutton.
Surrey Live received a response from Defoe’s representatives, it read: “The statement issued by Jody Brown is highly detrimental to Jermain’s reputation, and amounts to a serious defamation of character.
“The statement also suggests that Jermain was making unreasonable demands, which is simply untrue.
“Jermain is therefore taking immediate legal advice and intends to pursue appropriate legal action in relation to the statements made.”
Over the weekend, Defoe also posted a photo of him with the caption: “Who the cap fits let them wear it 👀”
At 8:45pm on the 23rd of July, a statement on their website read: “Woking Football Club can confirm that the club and First Team Manager Jermain Defoe have mutually agreed to part ways with immediate effect.
“We would like to place on record our sincere thanks to Jermain for his contribution during his time at Woking Football Club, and we wish him every success in the future.
“The club remains fully focused on delivering its objectives both on and off the pitch. We would like to thank our supporters for their continued support.”
Jermain Defoe took to Instagram, writing: “Following recent discussions, I can confirm that I have mutually agreed to leave my position as manager of Woking FC. Unfortunately, circumstances have ultimately made it impossible for me to continue in the position.
“I am extremely proud of the work undertaken during my time at the club and genuinely felt that we were building something special.
“I would like to thank Todd Johnson for giving me the opportunity to manage the club. I am incredibly grateful to the supporters and, most importantly, the players, who 1am genuinely gutted for. The group is a fantastic one, and I wish the squad every success for the season ahead.
“Really disappointed the journey has ended so soon, but I leave with great pride in what Paul Bracewell, Karl Halabi and I were building at the club.
“My time at Woking FC has been an eye-opening managerial experience and one that will undoubtedly make me stronger for the next challenge in my career.”
In the latest statement via the club website, Jody Brown said: “Jermain Defoe was an outstanding player, scored a vast number of goals, and is a very likeable guy.
“The feeling I get from within the football industry and its global support is not one of great surprise, but of course our own fanbase want and deserve some kind of clarity.
“The recommendation to appoint Jermain as manager was mine, and I take full responsibility for it. After meeting with him on several occasions, I believed he was the right person to lead the club into an exciting new era. As we have seen many times before, success as a player does not always translate into management and leadership. I sincerely hope to see him succeed in whichever direction he follows.
“I do not intend to discuss internal matters more than necessary or attribute blame. I’ve seen the speculation. Instead, I want to make clear that the club was fully committed to supporting Jermain in every sense throughout his time in the role.
“All player recruitment, staffing decisions and football matters were heavily influenced by Jermain, and he was given the necessary operational and board support. In any organisation there are processes to follow. Just days before his departure, the club were delighted to finalise the signing of an excellent player identified by Jermain, again illustrating the support the club had given right up until his final day.
“Jermain’s feedback was always positive, and he regularly expressed his enthusiasm and excitement for the season, both publicly and privately. I can therefore appreciate the surprise and subsequent speculation surrounding his sudden departure.
“However, in recent weeks there had been feedback from across the club, including players, staff and other departments, regarding growing concerns. To better understand the situation, I asked Jermain and Paul for a brief report outlining the squad’s current depth, recruitment targets and any operational challenges, so we could provide the support required and accelerate preparations for the season. That report was requested on more than one occasion but was never received.
“A meeting was subsequently scheduled involving the directors, manager, assistant manager and Head of Operations to review preparations for the season. Neither Jermain nor his assistant attended that meeting or that day’s training session. Throughout his tenure, Jermain had never communicated any serious concerns directly to me, so I am not going to speculate on his reasons.
“Every football club faces challenges. Players want more game time, improved contracts or transfers. The media team might want better equipment, the medical department more interns, the strength and conditioning staff larger gym space. and the car park attendants may want more coffee. But people do not just fail to turn up.
“The experience has highlighted lessons for both myself and the club, particularly around communication with Jermain and his representatives throughout the four months and six matches he was with us. Throughout that period, the club’s objective remained the same: to support the players and staff and give the project every opportunity to succeed.
“I wish Jermain every success in the future and thank him and his staff for their efforts.
“Our focus is now firmly on Woking Football Club and everyone who cares about it, while maintaining the standards, culture and preparations required ahead of the new season.”
Director of Football Jody Brown has issued the following statement regarding the departure of Jermain Defoe:
— Woking Football Club (@wokingfc) July 25, 2026
“Woking Football Club remains in a strong position, and our ambitions have not changed. Together, we will move forward with confidence and determination.”
A message to our supporters from Chairman, Todd Johnson:
— Woking Football Club (@wokingfc) July 24, 2026
Woking chairman Todd Johnson said in a statement: “To all Woking Football Club supporters,
“Following yesterday’s announcement, I wanted to write to you personally.
“Firstly, I want to acknowledge the disappointment many of you are feeling following the managerial change so close to the start of the National League season. I can assure you that every decision made by the club is taken with the best long-term interests of Woking Football Club, at its heart.
“I also want to reassure every supporter of one thing: Woking Football Club remains in a strong position, and our ambitions have not changed.
“Over the past eighteen months, we have worked hard to build a football club with solid foundations, clear direction and a sustainable future. Those foundations are built on the collective efforts of our staff, players, volunteers, partners and, most importantly, our supporters.
“Throughout its history, Woking Football Club has overcome challenges because of the strength, resilience and unity of its people, supporters, staff, volunteers and players. I have every confidence we will do so again.
“As chairman, I remain fully committed to this football club, to our long-term vision, and to delivering success both on and off the pitch. My commitment is unwavering, and yesterday’s announcement does not alter our ambitions in any way.
“Your support has always been our greatest strength, and together we will move forward with confidence and determination.
“Thank you, as always, for your loyalty, passion and support.”
“Woking Football Club remains in a strong position, and our ambitions have not changed. Together, we will move forward with confidence and determination.”
A message to our supporters from Chairman, Todd Johnson:
— Woking Football Club (@wokingfc) July 24, 2026
Woking chairman Todd Johnson said in a statement: “To all Woking Football Club supporters,
“Following yesterday’s announcement, I wanted to write to you personally.
“Firstly, I want to acknowledge the disappointment many of you are feeling following the managerial change so close to the start of the National League season. I can assure you that every decision made by the club is taken with the best long-term interests of Woking Football Club, at its heart.
“I also want to reassure every supporter of one thing: Woking Football Club remains in a strong position, and our ambitions have not changed.
“Over the past eighteen months, we have worked hard to build a football club with solid foundations, clear direction and a sustainable future. Those foundations are built on the collective efforts of our staff, players, volunteers, partners and, most importantly, our supporters.
“Throughout its history, Woking Football Club has overcome challenges because of the strength, resilience and unity of its people, supporters, staff, volunteers and players. I have every confidence we will do so again.
“As chairman, I remain fully committed to this football club, to our long-term vision, and to delivering success both on and off the pitch. My commitment is unwavering, and yesterday’s announcement does not alter our ambitions in any way.
“Your support has always been our greatest strength, and together we will move forward with confidence and determination.
“Thank you, as always, for your loyalty, passion and support.”
Woking’s director of football and chairman speak out after Jermain Defoe’s departure
Darragh MacAnthony said when talking on the situation on talkSPORT: “Screams of high maintenance. No, I’m going to give him massive credit because I always have a dig at these managers, ex players who walk into dream management jobs and I love the fact like Lampard recently, do you know what I mean? Has gone from the Premier League, dropped into the Champ and he’s made his way back up.
“Now I look at Defoe and I know his agent has been trying to get him job interviews the last couple of years. He wants to be a manager coach. I love it. I absolutely love it. Love the fact he took the woken job. Great club. I actually had 50 grand deposit in escrow to buy Woking 20 years ago before Peterborough and they fell apart of a land thing to do the previous owners. So a wonderful club, good spot.
“He’s gone there. I’d like to know more. But the reality is what it’s all screaming at the moment is well, you know, I’m not getting what I want player-wise and you know and then he’s obviously making those comments which is alluding to more without saying what it is. I don’t love that.
“I think he should have stayed there and I think he should have worked hard and I think he should have got on with it. Like a lot of managers up and down the country who don’t always get what they want, who don’t have an open checkbook, who have to deal with lack of training facilities, lack of this, lack of that.
“Modern day managers do make me laugh and not a dig at Jermain Defoe. When you speak to Barry Fry, legends of the game, the conditions they had to deal with, the pitches, the facilities, the lack of food, you know, available for players, the lack of money available and they got on with it and they managed their way up to a thousand games as legends of the game.
“That’s gone now. Particularly when you get players who are multi-millionaires coming from the Premier League, it can always end in one way. It’s either going to be a dream ticket or a disaster.
“And the problem the problem for Jermain if you’re his agent whatever else if I could get hold of him I’d say stop all that nonsense you know you leave a club you know come up with a deal with a club where you’re saying it’s for other opportunities and you know helping the club out whatever but now you’ve basically tarnished yourself a little bit where the next club that potentially hires you is thinking well is this going to happen again the minute we don’t give you what you want or the minute we sell your best player you know is this going to be then run on social media that’s not how it’s done so you know I think sometimes a lot of these top players players should go in and do more coaching before they become managers.
“I like what John Terry did where he went and worked for a few managers at two different clubs at the time. And I think that’s the right way to go about it when you want to work your way up.
“I’m just saying that I don’t like how it looks and if he wants to be a manager sometimes this is the nitty-gritty real world you’re dealing with. And by the way, Woking is a decent sized club at National League level.”
On if it would put him off as a future employer: “It would look to me like I’d have to definitely do multiple interviews. He could be high maintenance. I’ll give you an example. Robbie Savage is a pal of mine. He rang me when we were out in camp and he was talking to me about, you know, selling the best player to hearts and this was going on and that was going on and he was just asking me advice on certain things and he handled it with dressing rooms and whatever and I love Robbie. He’s just like he gets on with it. He worked at Macclesfield, he’s now working at Forest Green. He’s working his way up the ladder and I’m sure there are loads of things that have gone on at Macclesfield, Forest Green, whatever else that he doesn’t love, but he just gets on with his job because he knows he wants to be a manager.
“So sometimes resistance is better than I’m not going to say quitting, but it’s just get on with it. That’s what you want to be a manager. You’ve got one of the dream jobs. There’s only 92 jobs between the EFL and non-league. You’ve got one of them. You’ve got one of them. Go do the job.
“The interview process is extensive and you know, would I have had Defoe on that list at the time? No, not at the time. But if he’d gone cuz Luke Williams got on my list from what he did at Notts County and National League. So I knew about him as a coach but I love what he did at Notts County. So we studied him when Darren [Ferguson] was thinking about leaving a couple of years ago. Do you know what I mean? So basically if Defoe had gone and killed it at Woking and he had them top seven and he didn’t have a big budget and what he could come out and say was look we don’t have the biggest budget. We don’t have these players but we’re doing okay. You know, if he pulled a Scunthorpe or a Boreham Wood miracle last year, I’d have had him on my list of the top 10. I’d have said, “Look, young, up and coming. Yes, he’s got a bit of celebrity status to him, but actually he’s a good manager.”
“So, you know, yeah, for me it’d be like not sure about that now. And now it’s turned into a fight. It’s a he said, she said situation. I don’t love it.”
