Gareth Southgate’s trusted aide Steve Holland has left Japanese side Yokohama F Marinos after just four months. The former England assistant boss was only appointed in December as the successor to former Liverpool star Harry Kewell.
The new season only started in February this year but Holland has endured a woeful start to his stint in charge. He won just one of his 11 league games at the helm, with the side now languishing in 18th in the table.
And the 54-year-old has paid with his job, with former Leeds and Leicester star Patrick Kisnorbo being named as his successor. A statement earlier this week read: “Yokohama F. Marinos announce today that the club have decided to part ways with Steve Holland, who was appointed manager in the beginning of the 2025 season. To fill the void, head coach Patrick Kisnorbo will serve as an interim manager for the time being.”
Yokohama F. Marinos are owned by the City Football Group, the same owners as current Premier League champions Manchester City. And they made the move to appoint Holland in an effort to re-establish themselves at the top of Japanese football.
Speaking at the time of his appointment, he said: “I am excited to come to Japan, wonderful country and honoured to have the opportunity to work in J.League, the best league in Asia.
“Our mission is to compete for titles again, and we will pursue playing an aggressive, attacking football. I aim to build a team that consistently competes at the highest level, defined by strong competitiveness and unity.”
Holland started his managerial career with Crewe Alexandra before being appointed as manager of Stoke City’s youth academy in 2009. Chelsea was then the next port of call as he served as an assistant to a series of bosses including Andre Villas-Boas, Roberto Di Matteo, Rafa Benitez, Jose Mourinho, Guus Hiddink and Antonio Conte.
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Holland left Stamford Bridge in 2013 to become Southgate’s assistant with the England under-21s and was retained when the latter was promoted to the senior side. And he played a key role as the Three Lions reached successive Euros finals, as well as a World Cup semi-final.
While Holland will now be on the hunt for his next role, it appears that Southgate is happy to bide his time. Speaking in November, he hinted that he may never return to the dugout.
Southgate was previously linked with a move to Manchester United but Sir Jim Ratcliffe instead pursued a move for Ruben Amorim as Erik ten Hag ’s successor.
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