Ralph Hasenhüttl’s time as Southampton manager has come to an end after just under four years in charge at St Mary’s Stadium.
The Austrian leaves the club sitting 18th in the Premier League table with just three wins from their opening 14 games of the 2022/23 season. They had won just one of their last nine fixtures, a 1-0 victory away to Bournemouth last month, and Sunday’s 4-1 home defeat to Newcastle United proved to be the last straw for the former RB Leipzig boss. The 55-year old was one of the longer serving head coaches in English football’s top flight having taken over at the club in December 2018.
Southampton only have two matches remaining before domestic football goes on hiatus for the FIFA World Cup finals. They face League One side Sheffield Wednesday in the EFL Cup on Wednesday and Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday. A statement from the club said: “First Team Lead Coach Rubén Sellés will take charge of the side on an interim basis for our game on Wednesday night. The club will be announcing a permanent replacement in due course.”
The Saints will have plenty of time to get the right person in to take over the club and the current favourite for the job is a manager who has stood out in the EFL Championship in recent years. Other names on the bookmakers lists include coaches with experience in the Premier League and across several top league’s in Europe and even further afield. Here are the leading bookies favourites to become the next permanent manger of Southampton FC:
1. Nathan Jones - 2/7
The Luton Town gaffer is the heavy favourite to succeed Hasenhüttl after helping the Hatters punch well above their weight for the past two seasons. Jones took them to the EFL play-off semi-finals last season and currently has Luton sitting eight in the Championship league table with seven wins and eight draws.
2. Marcelo Gallardo - 4/1
As a coach, Gallardo’s name will be unfamiliar to many Football fans in Europe. The former Monaco and PSG players was capped 44 times for Argentina and has been in charge of River Plate since 2014. His side have won multiple trophies including the 2021 Primera División plus three Copa Argentina and two Copa Libertadores trophies.
3. Sean Dyche - 6/1
Dyche has been out of work since leaving Burnley in June but has seemingly been in the frame for a few vacancies in the Premier League and the EFL Championship since then. The 51-year old is of course best known for his ten year spell in charge of the Clarets where he established them as a top flight side
4. Kjetil Knutsen - 12/1
The Norwegian has been linked with multiple UK based jobs in recent years including, most recently, the Brighton & Hove Albion vacancy which eventually went to Roberto de Zerbi. Knutsen has been in charge of Bodø/Glimt since 2018 and won Eliteserien titles plus three Eliteserien Coach of the Year awards.