Former England manager Gareth Southgate has teamed up with a former Liverpool executive
Gareth Southgate
Gareth Southgate is undertaking an intriguing new role(Image: Eddie Keogh, Getty Images)
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Gareth Southgate is embarking on a fresh venture with a former Liverpool executive that promises to reveal the inner workings of football's corridors of power.
The former England manager, who stepped down after the Euro 2024 final loss to Spain, has yet to return to the dugout despite speculation linking him with several clubs, including Manchester United. Rather than jumping back into management, Southgate, 55, is exploring different avenues.
He has announced the launch of a new podcast, The Football Boardroom, which he will co-host with former Reds managing director Christian Purslow, alongside journalist Henry Winter. The project aims to provide unprecedented insight into his dealings with club officials, managers and owners throughout his eight-year tenure with the national side.
Southgate said: "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.
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"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.
Christian Purslow, former chief executive officer of Liverpool Football Club
Purslow, who played a key role in the sale of Liverpool in 2010, will join Southgate on the new podcast(Image: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images )
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"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 observing top-tier clubs from within, he added: "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.
Gareth Southgate with Christian Purslow and Prince William during a visit to Villa Park in 2023
Southgate with Purslow and Prince William during a visit to Villa Park in 2023(Image: Simon Stacpoole/Offside via Getty Images)
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"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."
During this period, Southgate interacted with club officials like Purslow, who served as Aston Villa's CEO from 2018 to 2023. Before this, he held key roles at Liverpool.
As managing director between June 2009 and October 2010, he facilitated the sale of the club from Tom Hicks and George Gillett to NESV, now FSG. Purslow then spent three years as Chelsea's head of global commercial activities from 2014 to 2017 before joining Villa.
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