Ex-Latics boss Lee Johnson says £100k glass ceiling is pricing homegrown coaches out of the game, as he considers leaving the English FA for Spain or Germany

Former Latics, Sunderland, Hibernian and Bristol City manager Lee Johnson has claimed that finding work in football management is getting ‘tougher’ for young homegrown coaches, and the expense is pricing them out of the game.

Overlooked time and again for top jobs in the English game, Johnson also says he is considering leaving the English FA for opportunities abroad.

For football manager Johnson – who also enjoyed a spell at Barnsley – the football industry is tough, and it is only getting tougher for homegrown coaches to break into.

“It’s tough. I think it’s getting tougher as well,” he said, speaking on The Sports Agents podcast.

“There's that old adage, isn't there? Great game, bad industry.

"And I understand why people say that.

"You know, it becomes very political and it's tough. It's a battle out there.”

Johnson has been out of work since 2023 after being sacked by Fleetwood Town and admits that it is difficult being outside of football management when the game is ‘in your blood.’ 

“If it's in your blood, and that coaching and the drug of winning and developing and interacting with fans and building something. And it's very difficult,” he added. 

“It's difficult for me at the moment, because I want to be in and I'm not in.

"And, you know, I feel like I've had a lot of successes in my career.

"At the same time, I see sometimes people getting jobs ahead of me.”

However, Johnson doesn’t begrudge up and coming coaches being given opportunities in management. 

“I've been in that scenario, so I definitely don't want to be one of those bitter managers that’s against anybody new getting an opportunity,” he added. 

“I was the youngest manager in the Football League when I went in at Oldham and then, you know, head hunted twice, very quickly, both at Barnsley and Bristol City.

"So, I've been on that journey as well.”

Over the last week, Plymouth Argyle and West Brom have hired managers from abroad, rather than looking at homegrown coaches.

Having been out of the game for over a year, Johnson argues that breaking into coaching is becoming harder, and young coaches are being priced out of getting their coaching badges, adding that those that can still find it hard to find work due to competition from abroad. 

“To get to your Pro License with case studies and travel and bits, it's probably going to cost you something in the region of £50,000 to £75,000. You're paying for that yourself!” he said.

“I’ve got a friend that's got every single qualification – Youth Award all the way through to Pro License – it cost him over £100,000.

"And you know, he wouldn't get a sniff.”

Reflecting on the industry as a whole, Johnson reveals that he wants to see British coaches be ‘braver’ and look for opportunities abroad. 

“What I would like to see personally with young British coaches is more opportunities abroad. I think we’ve got to be braver to go abroad as well,” he said. 

“If you look at the reputation of the Spanish, the Portuguese, the Germans, at this moment in time, it's a lot better than English coaches.”

As Johnson then reveals, he is considering leaving the English FA altogether for a different opportunity abroad because of the difficulty in finding work in the UK. 

“Do I as a coach now move to maybe the German FA or the Spanish FA to look at something different, to learn something different? Or do I stick within the system to try and develop and trust it?” he said.

You can listen to the episode here

The Sports Agents is available to listen to now on Global Player, or wherever you get your podcasts.

---

Do you have a story for us? Want to tell us about something going on in and around Oldham? Let us know by emailing news@oldham-chronicle.co.uk , calling our Oldham-based newsroom on 0161 633 2121 , tweeting us @oldhamchronicle or messaging us through our Facebook page. All contact will be treated in confidence.