Saints lining up Jardim for spark
SOUTHAMPTON have already identified the man to replace Mark Hughes if his efforts to revive the club fail.
Former Monaco manager Leonardo Jardim has come on to the Saints’ radar with Hughes having secured only one win in the Premier League from eight games.
Southampton have lost their last three without scoring to slip to 16th, two points above the relegation zone. They face Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium today, and a fourth successive defeat would only add to the pressure on Hughes. The Welshman, below, steered the club away from relegation last season after succeeding Mauricio Pellegrino in March, before signing a three-year contract in May. But Southampton have won only three league games in his reign – the worst record for a Saints manager since Nigel Adkins in 2010 – and his style of football has come in for criticism from fans.
Jardim was replaced by Thierry Henry last week after a poor start to the season. But he won the Ligue 1 title with the club in 2016-17 and is credited with putting together a brilliant young team featuring Kylian Mbappe, Thomas Lemar and Benjamin Mendy – a trait much admired by Southampton.
Despite Jardim’s shadow, Hughes says he is not feeling the pressure and improved
results are not far away. “We want maximum points as soon as we can but we don’t feel unduly concerned as yet because we think we are very close to turning things around,” he said.
“We stayed in the Premier League last year by one position. Realistically, are we going to go from 17th to the top six in eight games? Probably not.
“We need to be a bit patient but we know we have potential in the group and are better than we were last year. People shape their view of how well or how poorly you do in the early weeks of the season; the end game is where you are after 38 matches.”
Hughes is hoping striker Charlie Austin can rediscover his scoring form against the club he almost joined.
Austin, who was stopped from signing for Bournemouth from non-League Poole Town by a transfer embargo in 2009, is enduring a 12-match drought, the longest of his Premier League career.
But Hughes said: “Charlie is a goalscorer and if you give him the right service, in the right areas of the penalty box, more often than not he will get shots off. We have not been able to get him in those kind of positions on a regular enough basis.”
Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe has warned his side to beware of any sudden
BOURNEMOUTH SOUTHAMPTON
upturn in the Saints’ fortunes, saying: “We’d love to win but we respect Southampton a lot. We know they are a great club with outstanding players and an outstanding manager. We do not underestimate them in any way. Football can change very quickly so we have to get the basics right.”
Howe also said he had no intention of selling Nathan Ake to Tottenham. Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino has made the £40million-rated Ake his top January target after a string of stellar displays.
And Howe said: “That is a compliment to Nathan and how he has played since signing for us permanently. “He has been a model of consistency and picked up all our awards at the end of last season. He has carried that form into the start of this season.
“With any kind of speculation, when you are linked with the type of clubs he has been mentioned, that is a good sign. That doesn’t mean we are about to lose him – he is a massive part of what we are doing.
“It is inevitable that when the team are doing well, people will highlight our players. I look at it as a compliment for the team but it certainly won’t disrupt Nathan, knowing how level-headed he is.”