Premier League cult hero abruptly quits left-field manager job after three weeks in charge

Jason Puncheon spent most of his Premier League career at Selhurst Park (Image: Getty)

Former Crystal Palace, Southampton and Huddersfield Town star Jason Puncheon has left his post as Ayia Napa manager after just three weeks at the helm.

Puncheon took charge of the Cypriot second division side, in a resort town known primarily for its partying and nightlife, at the end of October. And he won both of his matches, masterminding a 1-0 victory at Achyronas-Onisilos and a triumph over Doxa by the same scoreline just before the international break.

But they turned out to be his only games at the Ayia Napa wheel, as a statement posted to the club's official Instagram account on Tuesday read: "Ayia Napa Sports Club announces the mutual consent termination of its cooperation with coach Jason Puncheon. Assistant coach Christos Tsapatsoulis also left our team. The board wishes both the best in their professional careers."

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As a player, Puncheon worked his way through England's lower leagues before finally making it to the top flight with Southampton in 2012/13, at the age of 26.

The Croydon-born midfielder was snapped up by Palace after one season, where he spent five campaigns and made more than 150 Premier League appearances before spending part of 2018/19 on loan at Huddersfield Town.

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Thereafter, Puncheon took his career to Cyprus. He spent three seasons with Pafos in the Cypriot top flight and then one final term with Anorthosis before hanging up his boots in 2023 with almost 600 senior appearances under his belt.

Jason Puncheon finished his playing career in Cyprus after leaving Crystal Palace (Image: Getty)

Since then, Puncheon has had brief stints in charge of Cypriot second division sides Peyia 2014 and AEZ Zakakiou, as well as his recent jaunt to Ayia Napa. The 38-year-old still holds out hope of making a success of himself as a manager after being pushed to pursue a career in coaching by bosses he played under.

"It was Alan [Pardew] who first planted the seed," he told The Daily Mail in September. "He said I should start thinking about it because he believed I could be a coach. Sam Allardyce and Roy Hodgson both said it to me, too - so that was a good sign.

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"Footballers should look at these opportunities [to work abroad] and take them more than we turn them down because there’s so much to learn. It was the route into coaching for me because the reality is I’m not Steven Gerrard or Wayne Rooney.

"Maybe Crystal Palace would have said to me at the end of my playing career, 'Come and take the U15s'. But I thought if I go to Cyprus and make a name for myself it may be easier for me to step into coaching, which was always the end goal. Whereas in England, once I retired I would maybe be waiting forever."