Southampton next manager odds: who will replace Nathan Jones for Saints

Premier League strugglers Southampton have sacked manager Nathan Jones after just three months in the dugout.

The former Luton Town boss joined the Saints earlier this season on 10 November 2022, succeeding former manager Ralph Hassenhuttl.

The 49-year-old lost nine of his 14 games in all competitions and before being relieved of his duties, he lost all of his final four home games at St Mary’s Stadium.

Jones is the shortest serving Southampton manager in the Premier League era and he leaves the club bottom of the table and deep in the relegation places.

Southampton face a huge task in the coming months to keep their Premier League status alive. But who is the favourite to succeed Nathan Jones as manager?

Here is everything you need to know.

Why did Southampton sack Nathan Jones?

Nathan Jones becomes the eighth managerial sacking of the season after a turbulent three-month reign in charge of The Saints.

The 49-year-old also had the seventh shortest reign of any manager in Premier League history.

Jones joined Southampton with a strong reputation after two successful spells with Championship side Luton Town.

However, he struggled to really make his mark at Southampton - particularly in the Premier League where he lost 8 of his nine matches in charge.

The best moment of Jones’ time in charge came against Manchester City in the Carabao Cup when he recorded a surprise 2-0 victory in the quarter-final.

Jones struggled to win over large sections of the Southampton fan base during his time with the club and his final game in charge was a 2-1 home defeat to fellow strugglers Wolves.

After the game an emotional Jones admitted that his time might be up with the club.

He walked straight down the tunnel at the end of the game, rather than applaud the home fans and claimed it was the first time he had done that in his career.

Jones said: “I have never done that in my life before. In 390 games I have never done that. But I am not sure if me going round clapping would have shown respect.”

Who is the favourite to replace Nathan Jones as Southampton manager

Southampton have been an ever present in the Premier League for the last decade and they are actively searching for a new coach to inspire the club to safety.

Southampton have played in the top-flight for every season since returning to the Premier League in 2012.

Here are the bookmakers favourites to take charge:

Steven Gerrard

Former Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard has emerged as the bookmakers favourite to succeed Nathan Jones at St Mary’s Stadium.

Gerrard enjoyed great success in his first managerial stint with Scottish giants Rangers, he helped the club to their first league title in over a decade in 2020/21 and also recorded an unbeaten season in the process - becoming only the fourth manager in Scottish football history to achieve the feat.

Gerrard left Rangers to join Aston Villa in November 2021, but he struggled to replicate the same success he had in Glasgow.

The 42-year-old spent a total of 11 months in charge of Aston Villa and he was sacked earlier this season after a slow start to the campaign.

Jesse Marsch

Jesse Marsch has also been linked with a return to the Premier League after his recent departure from relegation rivals Leeds United.

Marsch was sacked as manager of Leeds earlier this month after recording just four victories in the club’s opening 20 games.

The American had the best spell of his career with Austrian side Red Bull Salzburg. During his time with Salzburg he won two league titles and also helped the club make successive Champions League group stage appearances for the first time in their history.

Marcelo Gallardo

Argentine manager Marcelo Gallardo appears to be on the radar of a few Premier League clubs, according to the bookmakers. Including relegation rivals Leeds United.

The 47-year-old has spent the entirety of his managerial career in South America - lifting the Uruguayan Primera Division with Nacional in 2011/12 before enjoying further success with Argentinian giants River Plate.

Gallardo won one Argentine Primera Division, three Copa Argentina and two Copa Libertadores titles during his time with River Plate. He is viewed as one of the club’s most successful managers in recent history.

Gallardo has been without a club since leaving River Plate last year.

Sam Allardyce

When it comes to mid-season relegation escapes there are few names that come up more often than Sam Allardyce.

The Premier League veteran has inspired a number of clubs to mid-season revivals during his career including Everton, Crystal Palace, Sunderland and Blackburn Rovers.

The former England manager has vast experience in the Premier League but he did suffer the first top-flight relegation of his career during his last spell in management with West Brom during the 2020/21 campaign.

Mauricio Pochettino

Mauricio Pochettino has been linked with a shock return to Southampton with a number of bookmakers.

The Argentine helped steer the Saints away from relegation mid-season when he took over during the 2012/13 campaign. Pochettino followed that up recording a top-half finish with the Saints in his first full season in charge.

Since leaving Southampton, Pochettino has had spells with Tottenham in England and PSG in France.

He guided Tottenham to their highest Premier League finish and a first Champions League final during his five year stint in North London.

Pochettino also helped PSG lift the Ligue 1 title last campaign before leaving the French giants.

Pochettino has been out of management since leaving PSG last summer.

Here are all the names in contention for the Southampton job according to bookmakers at Sky Bet. (Odds correct as of Sunday 12 February)