Skip to content
Southampton manager latest amid Russell Martin Swansea talks and Tony Mowbray’s Sunderland point
Southampton’s relegation from the Premier League has accelerated discussion over who will be the club’s new first team manager nest season.
Three different managers have led the team during the current campaign, with Ralph Hasenhuttl and Nathan Jones sacked in November and February respectively, while Ruben Selles has been in charge since, losing nine of his 14 games in charge.
Saints are likely to oversee a significant player overhaul again this summer as they trim down their bloated, 30-man first team squad and prepare for life in the Championship.
READ MORE: The unexpected Pep Guardiola moment that has stuck with Southampton’s Romeo Lavia after Man City
They will need a manager capable of getting the best out of the players that remain at the club and have a strong knowledge of the second tier and be able to identify players that can be recruited. Below, HampshireLive has looked at some of the contenders for the job.
Russell Martin
Swansea City boss Russell Martin is currently the odds-on favourite to be the Southampton manager on the first day of the new season, with the former Norwich City and Scotland defender said to be holding talks this week with the Swansea owners about his future.
Martin has only 12 months left on his contract in south Wales but has made it clear that he wants assurances of investment if he is to continue at the Swansea.com Stadium.
His managerial record with the Jacks is said to have left a significant impression on Southampton’s board, with the 37-year-old improving on lasts season’s 15th-place finish by guiding Swansea to tenth in the Championship this season, three points shy of the play-offs.
Tony Mowbray
Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray has also seen his name thrown in the ring, with Football League World reporting that Saints are considering Mowbray for the job, along with Swansea boss Martin.
The contract Mowbray signed when he took charge at the Stadium of Light in August is set to expire next summer but his future is uncertain, with the Black Cats said to be considering a change after their play-off semi-final defeat to Luton Town.
After the defeat at Kenilworth Road, Mowbray responded to questions about his future, as reported by Chronicle Live, saying: “Do I want to be here next season? I do, yes. But let’s wait and see how it goes, and what the summer brings. I don’t know what will happen next.”
Ruben Selles
Selles remains a popular figure among the players but there have been questions over whether he is the the right man for the job next season. Without any managerial experience prior to stepping up this season at St Mary’s, his permanent appointment would represent another huge gamble.
There might well also be a desire from the club’s owners to sever all ties to the 2022/23 campaign, and Selles could be front and centre of that breakaway, with many no doubt hoping a new manager without the baggage of the previous campaign can help revitalise the team.
Selles’ contract runs out at the end of the season but there is no doubt in his mind that he’d like to stay on longer than that. He said last week: “Well, it’s not for me to decide but I would like to carry on in the Championship and bounce back to the Premier League in the year after. So that’s what I want to do.”
The other riders
Former Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira is priced at 13/1 on Sky, while former Derby County and current DC United manager Wayne Rooney is also in the betting at 15/1.
Below them are Graham Potter, Scott Parker and Steven Gerrard. The trio were sacked during the season by Chelsea, Bournemouth and Aston Villa respectively and are all priced at 17/1 to be the next Southampton manager.
READ NEXT
