Steve Bruce, who has mainly managed clubs in the English Premier League (EPL) Championship, is interested in the South Korean national football team’s managerial position. He has been without a managerial role since being dismissed by West Bromwich Albion in 2022 due to his poor performance.
The British media outlet Mirror reported that Bruce is interested in taking up the role of S. Korea’s next manager on Feb. 19.
The position became vacant after Jurgen Klinsmann was sacked. Bruce has been mentioned as a possible candidate following Klinsmann’s dismissal. An insider reportedly close to Bruce revealed to the news outlet, “Steve is aware of the interest from S. Korea, and the managerial position there is definitely attractive to him.
It has been reported that Steve Bruce, a former Manchester United defender, is considering two job offers - one as a manager for the S. Korean national team, and the other from a professional team in Saudi Arabia.
It is believed that he is currently weighing his options and will hold discussions over the next few weeks to decide which offer to accept. Bruce is eager to return to management and thinks that an international position would be a positive move in his career.
Throughout his career, Bruce has managed a total of 12 professional teams, including Sheffield United, Birmingham City, Wigan Athletic, Sunderland, Hull City, Aston Villa, and Newcastle.
His experience has mainly been with mid to lower-tier teams, with him alternating between the Championship and the Premier League. Bruce has successfully led Birmingham City and Hull City to promotion to the Premier League.
He coached Ji Dong-won (Suwon FC) during his time as Sunderland manager in the 2011-2012 season. Later, during the 2019-2020 season at Newcastle, he managed Ki Sung-yueng (FC Seoul).
However, Bruce has been without a team since he stepped down as the manager of West Bromwich Albion in Oct. 2022. According to The Mirror, “Over his 24-year managerial career spanning over 1000 games, he has led his teams to victory in 384 out of 1032 matches.”
Meanwhile, Klinsmann, who had a contract with the S. Korean national team until the 2026 World Cup, was sacked on Feb. 16, as announced by Chung Mong-gyu, the Korea Football Association (KFA) president.
He was heavily criticized for not having a clear tactical approach and was fired less than a year after taking charge of the team. This happened because he failed to achieve the objective of winning the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, and the team was eliminated in the semifinals.
Additionally, disputes among S. Korea team members came to light, which further worsened the situation. After sacking Klinsmann, Michael Muller, the head of the head of the National Team Committee who appointed him, also resigned. The KFA is now in the process of selecting a new chairman who will be responsible for appointing a new national team manager.
