Jermain Defoe has left Woking just two weeks before the start of the new National League season after what he described as an “eye-opening experience” at the club.

Defoe was appointed by the Surrey side in March as a surprise replacement Neal Ardley, and guided the club to a 10th-place finish after winning two of his six matches in charge.

But just a fortnight before Woking were due to begin the new campaign against Sutton United, the former England striker’s abrupt departure was confirmed with immediate effect.

“Unfortunately, circumstances have ultimately made it impossible for me to continue in the position,” Defoe said in a post on social media.

“I am extremely proud of the work undertaken during my time at the club and genuinely felt that we were building something special.

“My time at Woking FC has been an eye-opening managerial experience and one that will undoubtedly make me stronger for the next challenge in my career.”

Defoe oversaw a 1-0 friendly defeat to Braintree Town on Tuesday.

The 43-year-old scored 20 times in 57 international appearances for England and registered 162 times in the Premier League.

“We would like to place on record our sincere thanks to Jermain for his contribution during his time at Woking, and we wish him every success in the future.” Woking said in a statement on the former Tottenham and West Ham forward.

“The club remains fully focused on delivering its objectives both on and off the pitch. We would like to thank our supporters for their continued support.”

Match Details

Fixture: (1) Andrey Rublev vs Luca Van Assche

Date: July 24, 2026

Tournament: Estoril Open

Round: Quarterfinals

Venue: Clube de Tenis do Estoril, Cascais, Portugal

Category: ATP 250

Surface: Clay

Prize Money: €612,620

Live Telecast: USA – Tennis Channel | UK – Sky Sports | Canada – TSN+

Andrey Rublev vs Luca Van Assche preview

Top seed Andrey Rublev will take on Luca Van Assche in the quarterfinals of the Estoril Open 2026.

Rublev received a bye into the second round, where he faced lucky loser Timofey Skatov. The Russian was in control of the match from start to finish. He conceded only one game in each set to register a comfortable 6-1, 6-1 victory.

Van Assche fought past home hope Federico Silva in three sets to reach the second round, where eighth seed Pablo Carreno Busta awaited him. The Frenchman captured the opening set courtesy of a break of serve in the fourth game, the only break in the entire set.

Carreno Busta initially led by a break in the second set but couldn’t hold on to his advantage for too long. Nevertheless, he snagged another break of serve in the 10th game to take the set.

Van Assche dealt the first blow in the third set to go 2-1 up, only for his older rival to immediately negate his upper hand in the next game. He raised his level after that and bagged the next four games on the trot for a 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 win.

Andrey Rublev vs Luca Van Assche head-to-head

Rublev leads their rivalry 1-0. He won their previous meeting at the Citi DC Open 2024 in three sets.

Andrey Rublev vs Luca Van Assche odds

(Odds via BetMGM)

Andrey Rublev vs Luca Van Assche prediction

Rublev stormed to the title in Bastad last week and continued his winning ways with a dominant performance against Skatov. He improved his record for the season to 26-13 with the win, and to 16-5 on clay.

Van Assche was pushed to three sets yet again but wore down Carreno Busta in the end to reach his second quarterfinal at the ATP level this year. He has a 6-4 record on the main tour, and a 22-6 record at the Challenger level. He has won three titles on the Challenger tour this year, including one on clay.

Van Assche’s run is likely to end at this stage. He has a 0-10 career record against top 20 players. His last match against a top 20 opponent was against Rublev at the Citi DC Open a couple of years ago. While he managed to push Rublev to three sets back then, he might not be able to do so on this occasion on account of the Russian’s present form.

Pick: Andrey Rublev to win in straight sets.

Andrey Rublev vs Luca Van Assche betting tips

Tip 1: The match will have at least 18 games.

Tip 2: Rublev to win at least one set with a score of 6-3.