Former Bristol City, Liverpool, Spurs, QPR and Cardiff City star lands first manager's job

Former Bristol City defender Steven Caulker has ended his search for a new club, by taking his first steps into management. Caulker - who was released by Wigan Athletic in the summer had been a free agent for the first part of the season, and has now made an interesting next transfer move.

The 32-year-old has been appointed player-manager of Malaga City who play in the fifth tier of Spanish football. He announced he was taking up the role on Christmas Eve, and has now officially started at his new club.

"After a long job search and many sleepless nights, I am happy to announce that I have now found my path," said Caulker on a post on LinkedIn.

"I have expressed my desire to become a manager for a while now, and have just recently completed my UEFA B license. I really look forward to the challenges of managing the dynamics of a changing room, stabilising our league position with some points on the board, and learning a new language.

"Alongside playing and managing, I will also be coaching part of the academy in the afternoon to further develop my coaching skills and hopefully, attain my UEFA A license.

"I thank you all for the many messages of support I have recieved during this tough period of transition. And I thank George Jermy for believing in me and giving me this incredible opportunity. "Now it's time to enjoy Christmas with the family and prepare some training sessions for January 1st! Vamos."

Caulker began his career at Spurs in 2007, and had loans at Yeovil Town, Bristol City and Swansea City. The 13-time Sierra Leone international played 30 times for the Robins, scoring two goals, which eventually led to him having a career in the Premier League with Swansea, Cardiff City, QPR Southampton and Liverpool.

Since 2018, Caulker has played for Scottish club Dundee, before spells in Turkey with Alanyaspor and Fatih Karagumruk. He returned to English football in 2022 with Wigan, however he and several teammates weren't paid on time, and they were eventually relegated from the Championship.