Jermain Defoe is being considered for a coaching return as a potential assistant manager at Bromley. The former England striker is being discussed as part of a potential backroom team should Karl Robinson be appointed as the club's new boss.
Defoe, who left his role as Woking manager less than four months ago, is understood to be open to the move. Robinson, the former Oxford United and Charlton Athletic manager, is a leading candidate for the vacant position at Hayes Lane. The two have a prior connection, with Robinson having tried to sign Defoe as a player during his time at Oxford.
Bromley are searching for a new manager after dismissing Andy Woodman earlier this season. Woodman, who had been in charge for five years and led the club from the National League to League One, was let go after a poor start to life in the third tier. He secured just two wins in ten league matches before his departure.
"I'm pretty disappointed, pretty upset and feel pretty misled in numerous ways and situations," Woodman said after his exit. Byron Webster has been in interim charge since, but the club's prospective new owner, Victor Anichebe, is now driving the search for a permanent appointment.
Defoe's potential arrival would bring a wealth of Premier League experience to Bromley's dugout. The 44-year-old scored 163 goals in 496 top-flight appearances across spells with West Ham, Tottenham, Portsmouth, Sunderland, Bournemouth and Rangers. He remains Tottenham's seventh-highest all-time goalscorer and sits tenth on the Premier League's all-time scoring list.
His managerial career, however, was brief and ended abruptly. He left Woking in the summer after a reported breakdown in his relationship with the club's director of football, failing to report for training on the eve of the new season.
The club is in urgent need of a turnaround. Bromley sit 24th in League One with just nine points from 13 matches, having conceded 33 goals. Their recent fixtures have been tough, with a 3-2 loss at Wigan on October 31 their latest defeat in a run of five games without a win. They are 19 points adrift of leaders Huddersfield Town.
Other names linked with the managerial role include former England Under-21s assistant Ashley Cole and ex-Oxford boss Matt Bloomfield. The immediate focus for whoever takes over will be preparing for the next match, a home game against 17th-placed Notts County on November 14. The full standings show the scale of the task ahead at Hayes Lane.
Background and full detail: Daily Mail Sport
