Hasenhuttl on borrowed time
Players surprised Ralph hasn’t been sacked
SOUTHAMPTON boss Ralph Hasenhuttl has lost the trust of several players and there is surprise within the dressing room that he was not sacked over the summer.
Sources have described the austrian becoming increasingly detached from his squad and there was said to be unrest and dissent during Saturday’s 4-1 defeat by tottenham, in which he made a double substitution at half-time and later labelled the performance ‘ simply not good enough’.
Sportsmail understands that some players spoke to members of the club’s hierarchy at the end of last season and expressed concern over Hasenhuttl’s management. Saints lost 10 of their final 13 matches of 2021- 22 in all competitions.
the response was to change the entirety of his coaching staff, with the manager remaining in place, much to the surprise and disappointment of some within the squad. Hasenhuttl’s contract runs until 2024 and club sources insist there is no appetite to change manager at present.
However, there is now said to be increased tension behind the scenes, with some of the newlyformed backroom team even harbouring misgivings over Hasenhuttl and his strategies.
Several sources have spoken to Sportsmail about what they believe is a situation that will only be resolved by a change in the dugout.
‘Ralph just doesn’t really talk to people any more,’ said one source. ‘he drops players without any real thought and has no relationship with them if they have an issue.
‘there is a real defensive focus and they’re going into games just trying not to lose. players are used out of position and there is no consistency — a lot of them are very unhappy.
‘When they sacked the coaching staff, there was a feeling it should have been Ralph who went. the club say they have full faith in him, but it looks like he knows the game is nearly up.’ Southampton changed ownership in January, with Serbian billionaire Dragan Solak leading a £ 200million takeover.
they have backed hasenhuttl by spending £50million on six new players this summer — focusing on younger players with sell- on value — although the manager is said to have had little communication with the owners during preseason. he is, however, thought to be very closely aligned with the owners over their desire to build the team around up and coming talent in the squad.
the 55-year- old took charge in 2018 and has recorded premier League finishes of 16th, 11th, 15th and 15th. his side host Leeds tomorrow. they face Leicester, manchester united and Chelsea before the end of this month, as well as League one Cambridge in the Carabao Cup second round.
Everton have made a move to sign Southampton striker Che adams, who is keen on the move.