Hughes offered £1m bonus to save Saints
Mark Hughes is on a ‘survival bonus’ of just under £1million to keep Southampton in the Premier League after his appointment as the club’s new manager was confirmed last night.
As revealed by Telegraph Sport, Hughes was Southampton’s first choice candidate following the decision to sack Mauricio Pellegrino and he will return to management in Sunday’s FA Cup quarter-final tie against Wigan.
There are then eight crucial Premier League games to ensure that Southampton do not drop into the bottom three from their current precarious position just one point above the relegation zone.
Pellegrino had overseen a sequence of one league win in 17 matches and, while the Southampton board had been reluctant to make a mid-season change, they eventually concluded that the greater risk was not to act.
Their priority was an available manager with an immediate knowledge of the Premier League and a mutual decision over whether Hughes will continue on a longerterm contract will be taken at the end of the season.
Only Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger, Harry Redknapp, David Moyes and Sam Allardyce have managed more Premier League games in charge than Hughes and this will be his sixth job at an English top-flight club. Hughes, 54, played 60 times for Southampton previously and had been considered for the manager’s job back in 2004 when Paul Sturrock ultimately succeeded Gordon Strachan.
In a statement, Southampton pointed to his extensive experience in almost 450 Premier League matches and how he had overseen eight finishes in the top half.
Mark Bowen and Eddie Niedzwiecki will join Hughes, as assistant manager and assistant first-team coach respectively, alongside the existing first-team assistant coach, Kelvin Davis, head of goalkeeping Dave Watson, and head of sports science, Alek Gross. “It’s a great opportunity to come back to a club I know well, and a club I’ve got real affinity with, and I couldn’t turn that down,” said Hughes.
“I bring experience of the Premier League. I understand what it takes in this league to win games. But, first and foremost, I think it’s about coming in and maybe being that different voice, that different message from myself and the staff, that will enable the players to recognise and focus on what needs to be done in this key period.
“The objective is to remain in the league and make sure we’re a Premier League club next year. That’s where this club needs to be, that’s where it should be, and that’s our intention.”