Wales boss Chris Coleman unsure over future

Wales manager Chris Coleman said on Wednesday he has “no idea” if he will stay in the job after holding initial talks with football chiefs.

Coleman’s current contract expires at the end of this month after friendlies away against France on November 10 and Panama in Cardiff on November 14.

The 47-year-old’s position has been under scrutiny since last month’s defeat to Ireland cost them a place at the 2018 World Cup in Russia next summer.


“I have no idea if these are my last games,” Coleman told a press conference near Cardiff. “Initial talks have been undertaken since our last game but we are no further forward. That’s where we are.”

Coleman was appointed Wales manager in January 2012 following the death of his great friend Gary Speed.

He struggled at the start of his reign but the former Fulham manager took Wales to their first major finals for 58 years at Euro 2016 and steered them to the semi-finals in France.

A players’ delegation — including star man Gareth Bale and skipper Ashley Williams — met Coleman straight after the defeat to Ireland in attempt to persuade him to stay.

“France in Paris is a fantastic game for us and if this is my last camp it’s not a bad way to sign off,” Coleman said.

“It may be the (Euro 2016) final that never took place and of course we’ve never played Panama.

“I have to look and think, ‘Can I take it forward? Is the structure and facilities good to take us forward?’ So it’s not just me personally. All things need to be right for us to take it forward.”

Coleman has been linked with Premier League vacancies at Everton and Leicester — the latter since filled by Claude Puel — in recent weeks.

But he was reticent when asked if there had been any interest in his services.

“I’m not going to say a club has done this or that,” he said. “We’re always going to be linked with clubs and vacancies. Some managers are still in their jobs, I’ve been on the end of that and it’s not nice.”

Coleman named a 24-man squad for the upcoming friendlies that includes Gareth Bale.

Bale has not played since suffering a calf injury in Real Madrid’s Champions League victory against Borussia Dortmund on September 26 and missed Wales’s final World Cup qualifiers against Georgia and Ireland.