Former Wales international Joe Allen has temporarily stepped away from football after leaving his coaching position at Swansea City.
The 36-year-old is taking time to reflect on his professional future.
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Allen moved into a backroom staff role under head coach Vitor Matos in November, following his retirement from professional playing in May 2025.
He has now left that position and remains undecided about his next career step.
“I don't have an answer, I'll take a break now to work it all out,” Allen said.
He indicated he is weighing options between staying in football or exploring new paths.
“I'm hoping something comes to me, whether that's in the next few weeks or few months, I'm not sure,” he added.
Allen acknowledged the internal conflict he feels about leaving the sport entirely.
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“I'm probably torn between staying in football – it's all I've known really – but then there's a part of me which fancies maybe starting something new,” he said.
Reflection on Swansea City's Future
Allen helped Swansea City secure promotion to the Premier League in 2011. The club now prepares for a ninth consecutive Championship season after relegation in 2018.
Despite finishing 11th last term, Allen remains optimistic under Matos.
“With the way the season ended, the signs are promising,” Allen said. He noted the difficulty of fulfilling promotion ambitions since dropping from the top flight.
“It's tough, when Swansea came down, the ambition was to get back up as soon as possible, it's not quite happened,” he said.
Allen urged the current squad to emulate past achievements.
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“But we had that incredible day 15 years ago and the message for the group now is you want to write your own history and have something similar,” he concluded.
