A former Chelsea and Tottenham star has made a surprise return to South Korea management.
The 57-year-old racked up a combined 187 Premier League appearances for the two London clubs during an impressive time in the game that also saw him play for the likes of River Plate and Zaragoza.
The star, who won 26 caps for his country, moved into management positions after retiring and has enjoyed a coaching career that has seen him take on roles in six different countries.
And now, he has added a seventh nation after joining a South Korean club in the K League, where former England and Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard plays.
The Premier League cult hero in question is Gus Poyet, and the Uruguayan was named the new manager of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors on Tuesday.
Poyet, 57, has been out of management since leaving his role with Greece in March, when they narrowly missed out on qualifying for Euro 2024.
A Premier League cult hero has made a surprise return to South Korea management
Gus Poyet has been named new coach of K League side Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
Poyet, who has coached more than 400 matches, recently left Greece after two years in the role.
He originally made his name managing Brighton, leading them to the League One title, before spending a year and a half in charge of Sunderland in the Premier League.
Poyet has also played for AEK Atenas, Real Betis, Shanghai Shenhua, Bordeaux and the Chilean Catholic University.
He will take over a Jeonbuk team that narrowly avoided relegation in the 2024 season, despite being the most decorated team in South Korean history with nine K League titles.
In fact, they were forced to hold off Seoul E-Land FC of K League 2 in the promotion and relegation play-off.
Speaking after his appointment, Poyet, who also interviewed for the role in South Korea earlier this year, expressed his excitement about the new opportunity.
“The K League is a new challenge for me as a coach and I hope it will be a success,” he said.
“In football I believe that communication and trust can take priority over tactics and strategies.
“I will communicate with my players and earn the fans’ trust so that Jeonbuk can once again become the best team in the K League.”
Jeonbuk endured difficult season in 2024 and almost suffered embarrassing relegation
Poyet’s technical direction is known in England for his time at Brighton and Sunderland.
Jeonbuk added in a statement: “He experienced ups and downs as a coach in the Premier League, which is the biggest competition in the world.
‘And we feel that their experience and expertise will help boost our efforts to recover.
“We consider his ability to communicate with players to be his greatest strength, something that will help him manage high-quality players at our club.”
Poyet will arrive in South Korea this weekend and will be joined by Mauricio Taricco, who has worked as his assistant throughout his managerial career.
The K League is held annually and the 2025 edition is expected to begin in March.
The 57-year-old’s return to the dugout also comes after he spoke exclusively to Mail Sport in August about his plans for the future.
“I want to return (to directing),” Poyet had said.
But I’m not in a hurry. At first I thought, “Okay, will I be able to have a national team again?” Because it was very fun for my character.
“And then the clubs start calling me and for me what differentiates me from other coaches is that I am a bit all over the world after working in England, Spain, France, Greece, China and South America.
“So they call me from anywhere, but I’m trying to be a little calm and not rush into work.”
“I want to make sure my next step is the right one, so I’m a little selective, but it sure is harder to find that spot.”