Sam Allardyce EXCLUSIVE: Manager admits Premier League return ‘may never happen now’ after turning down Newcastle United job
Big Sam takes a stab at Everton over his 'bitterly disappointing' exit and says he wants another a chance to compete, not just be a relegation saviour
Sam Allardyce has told talkSPORT he may have passed up his last chance to manage in the Premier League after turning down the Newcastle United job.
The former England boss revealed exclusively on Thursday’s Sports Breakfast that he has rejected the chance to return to St James’ Park and succeed Rafael Benitez.
Big Sam was ‘flattered’ to be approached by the Tyneside club, where he was manager for a brief period from 2007 until 2008, but ultimately said the role ‘was not right’ for him.
Allardyce has just spent the first year outside of management of his career following his Everton exit at the end of the 2017/18 season – a departure he says he found ‘bitterly disappointing’.
He told Alan Brazil he often feels itching to return to the dugout and that he can ‘handle almost anything’ after his experiences in club football, having managed seven Premier League sides.
But, he concedes another job in the top flight ‘may never come now’ after rejecting the Magpies, saying he wants to join a club where he can compete and not just save them from relegation.
The 64-year-old told talkSPORT: “To be offered the Newcastle job, it was a shock. This one wasn’t right for me, but I wouldn’t rule a return at some stage maybe.
“But I’ve been in the Premier League for many, many years and the opportunity that attracts me may never come now.
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“Before I would come to try and save a side, but what happened before at Everton really disappointed me so badly.
“That was a great honour for me to manage Everton and I was bitterly disappointed about what happened after the job I did for them.
“That was not supposed to be a saving job, this was supposed to be taking the club forward, creating a team to break into the top four and I never got that chance and it still rankles me because I couldn’t have done any better.
“They moaned about that football, but that wasn’t my team – I inherited that side and I made it better to finish eighth. Where did they finish last year, after spending another £100m? Eighth!
“What may come along in the future? We’ll wait and see. Never say never.
“How knows, whether it might be aboard, which hasn’t materialised apart from China, for me, and I don’t want a trip to China, it’s not my cuppa tea at this time in my life. We’ll just wait and see.
“It [another Premier League job] might never happen, and I accept that.
“At times I’ve been agitated about now being involved in football this season and I’d like to get back into the throes of it.
“The enjoyment of working with players on a daily basis, and especially watching the young players develop, it keeps you young, it keeps you active.
“I feel like now I can handle almost anything with the experience I’ve gained.”