Will Steve McClaren be returning to the Premier League this summer?

This morning former-England boss Steve McClaren revealed he would like a return to the English top flight this summer.

McClaren was much maligned for his poor performance as England boss. Since then he has enjoyed mixed fortunes in foreign lands.

Success

His biggest success in football so far must have been helping FC Twente to the Dutch title in 2010.

It proved a shock victory with the usual suspects of PSV and Ajax failing to perform in that season’s Eredivisie.

He did a fantastic job at Twente and his performance really opened his eyes to managing away from England. It also raised his profile on the continent and made him hot property, just a few years after being brand the ‘Wholly with the Brolly’.

Disappointing

German side Wolfsburg decided to take a chance on the former-Boro boss. McClaren found the opportunity to manage in the German top flight too good to turn down. He became the first Englishman ever to manage a club in the Bundesliga.

The club were expected to challenge at the top of the table. Instead they struggled under McClaren. He lost the dressing room and dissent amongst the players grew.

The Wolfsburg hierarchy lost confidence in the 50 year-old, after the Wolves won just five games under the Yorkshireman’s guidance and fired him. He left the club struggling in the bottom half of the Bundesliga and they are currently only outside the relegation zone on goal difference.

Options

According to the man himself he has lots of options. He told Sky’s Goals on Sunday programme: “I get a lot of interest not just form England but from Europe now; my contacts have grown wider now so I don’t know what is going to happen next.

“The key thing is working for a good club and a good chairman. The Premier League is well revered around Europe and it would be nice to do that.

I’m not sure how Premier League fans would react to McClaren heading to their club. I know that when West Ham were linked with him last summer the majority of Hammers fans didn’t want him as their manager.

Short

The list of clubs he could manage in the Premier League is quite short. The top clubs are unlikely to employ the former-Middlesbrough boss. If he is to come back to the Premier League this summer then it is likely to be a club who have underachieved this season.

Harsh

I think that the criticism of Steve McClaren while he was England boss was harsh. He was so far out of his depth as England boss that I almost felt sorry for him at times. He just didn’t have the respect of the players.

His only real achievement in football management before taking the England job was getting Middlesbrough to the final of the UEFA Cup. Whereas the players he was managing generally had experienced far more success in the game.

McClaren just wasn’t prepared to take charge of an England squad full of big egos and reputations. Unfortunately he paid their reputations far too much respect and was almost in awe of the players he was managing. And it seemed to happen again at Wolfsburg.

Decent

I think Steve McClaren is a decent man and manager. I don’t however think that he will ever be a top-class manager though. Maybe a few more seasons in continental football will improve his ability to manage high profile players.

I don’t think a return to the Premier League this summer would benefit Steve McClaren and he must realise that.

Maybe a stint in a lesser high-profile league will help him to regain his reputation, just like he did in the Eredivisie with FC Twente. A summer return to the Premier League is highly doubtful.

Will Steve McClaren return to the Premier League this summer?