Hughes axed
Saints target Hasenhuttl
Southampton are hoping to confirm the appointment of Ralph Hasenhuttl before the end of the week after Mark Hughes yesterday became the second Premier League manager to be sacked this season.
Hasenhuttl, a former Austria striker, left his job managing at RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga at the end of last season, but is regarded as one of the best emerging coaches in Europe after leading the German club to sixth and second-place finishes and previously achieving promotions with both Aalen and Ingolstadt.
Kelvin Davis, the first-team coach, will lead Southampton away against Tottenham Hotspur tomorrow, but confirmation that Hasenhuttl will be in charge when they face Cardiff City away on Saturday – and so become the club’s fourth permanent manager since 2016 – is likely to follow.
Former Watford manager Quique Sanchez Flores is also a contender, but Hasenhuttl is regarded as the outstanding choice and is understood to be keen on moving to the Premier League after taking in a number of games this season.
The 51-year-old was on Arsenal’s longlist of managers to replace Arsene Wenger this year and, with Southampton not interested in going down the route of an experienced but potentially short-term choice such as Sam Allardyce or David Moyes, they want to get the situation resolved quickly. They will be hoping Hasenhuttl can become the sort of game-changing but slightly left-field option in the mould of their appointment of Mauricio Pochettino in 2013.
Crucially, he has an outstanding track record for developing young players and, having been tracked by Southampton for the past three years, the final decision to make the change now and pursue him was taken by chairman Ralph Krueger with support from Ross Wilson, the director of football operations.
Hasenhuttl, who speaks good English, briefly worked at Leipzig with Paul Mitchell, who was Southampton’s former head of recruitment, but Mitchell played no role in the likely appointment.
After being sacked by Stoke City in January, Hughes is the first manager to lose two Premier League jobs in a calendar year since Mike Walker in 1994. His departure follows a winless run in the Premier League that stretches 10 matches and raises questions about his potential future as one of the most experienced managers in the top flight.
Recent results have pushed Southampton into the relegation zone and, although there were positives about Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Manchester United, it was yet another match in which Southampton failed to capitalise on a lead.
Southampton have dropped 20 points from winning positions since Hughes was appointed in March, more than double every other Premier League club except for Huddersfield Town, who have lost 12 points.
Since Ronald Koeman left for Everton 30 months ago, Southampton have also sacked Claude Puel and Mauricio Pellegrino and there was a definite feeling this season that they could not stand back and allow results to slide.
Southampton have won just five of 27 games under Hughes and, while he led them to safety last season, that was partly also a result of how Swansea City capitulated in the final months. The club’s board were still sufficiently encouraged by the way Southampton improved in the final weeks of the season to agree a three-year contract with Hughes and they will now face another hefty compensation bill.
The priority will be to rebalance a squad which has good depth but lacks top-end quality. Southampton also want to see more young players given a chance and there are high hopes for Yan Valery, Alfie Jones and Callum Slattery. As well as Hughes, assistant manager Mark
Bowen and assistant coach Eddie Niedzwiecki also left the club yesterday.
“We would like to express our thanks to Mark and his staff for all of their efforts during their time at St Mary’s,” said a Southampton statement.
Davis knows he will almost certainly be in charge for just one game after Southampton specified his position as manager for only the Tottenham match. “It does indicate that,” he said. “But whether that happens or not will be up to the guys upstairs. I don’t think it would be wise to even consider anything after Wednesday. My aspirations are to continue to support the club as best I can and if one day an opportunity arises to become a manager I would love that. But for now that’s a million miles away from my mind.”