Sam Allardyce drops hint over potential interest in Wales job

Sam Allardyce has hinted he might be open to the Wales job following Rob Page’s sacking.

Big Sam has been out of work since a brief stint at Leeds during the final games of the 2022/23 campaign as the Elland Road club were relegated from the Premier League.

Allardyce has been included in the bookies’ initial odds as Wales aim to bounce back from missing out on Euro qualification, and the 69-year-old admitted he would never turn down an interview.

"I've had quite a few Welsh coaches and know them quite well. You never know if you get on the shortlist for an interview,” he told No Tippy Tappy Football.

"I'd always take an interview, I wouldn't turn an interview down. You've got a team that's done brilliantly over the last few years but who are the next generation?

"Where's the next Gareth Bale? Teams like that always have to have one special player.

"With other countries they have one special player who can actually make the expectations for the nation greater than what they think because they can win a game any time."

Josh Sheehan won a handful of Wales caps under Page – who ended a 64-year wait to qualify for the World Cup - and was handed the captain’s armband against Gibraltar last month.

That honour came after an impressive campaign in League One, providing 12 assists and winning both of the main prizes at Wanderers’ End of Season Awards night. The midfielder was also shortlisted for PFA Fans’ Player of the Year in the third tier.

Allardyce will be back at the Toughsheet Community Stadium on Friday, July 12 for a charity Q&A event alongside Ian Evatt.

Big Sam’s last permanent job was at West Brom, stepping down from his role at the Hawthorns at the end of the 2020/21 campaign.