Just this May, Southampton were celebrating promotion to the Premier League via a dramatic playoff final victory, having got the better of Daniel Farke’s Leeds United by a single goal.
Now, the Saints are rock bottom of the division they longed to be in, with a crushing 5-0 loss to a rampant Tottenham Hotspur resulting in Russell Martin losing his job.
It did feel as if the writing was on the wall at full-time for Martin, as the St Mary’s masses that had managed to endure the full car-crash match all cried for their under-fire manager to be relieved of his duties.
Now, the powers that be at the South Coast are tasked with finding a successor that can recharge the downtrodden Saints, with a list of names already being talked about.
Frontrunners to replace Martin at Southampton
Football is a game that waits for nobody, as Martin has cruelly found out by being reduced to unemployment after once guiding the Saints to promotion glory.
The aim will be to get in a quickfire replacement, and in the form of reported target Danny Rohl, the relegation candidates would appoint a face who knows Southampton well.
After all, the German was a coach at St. Mary’s during the reign of Ralph Hassenhuttl, with the now Sheffield Wednesday boss perhaps eyeing up a reunion, having been a hit in South Yorkshire to date with 27 wins collected from 65 total games.
But, there is another manager in the Championship who is also apparently high up on the list of potential replacements, and he is sticking out even more than the Owls boss at his current employers.
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Southampton make "elite" boss top contender
As per a report from Football Insider, the relegation-threatened Saints have now made West Bromwich Albion manager Carlos Corberan a top contender for the vacancy.
The Spaniard has emerged as the new favourite to replace Martin according to the report, which also states that Corberan is keen to quit his position at the Baggies to take over the top-flight’s basement club.
Games
106
102
Wins
46
39
Draws
29
27
Losses
31
26
It could well be the allure of managing in the league above that is too tempting for Corberan to refuse, especially when you consider the 44-year-old’s impressive numbers as a manager in England – when glancing at the table above – have all come about in the second tier.
In total, the popular West Brom boss has masterminded 85 victories in the Championship across his glittering managerial CV, with two playoff finishes achieved at the helm of the Baggies and the Terriers also leading to football scout Petar Petrov labelling him as “elite.”
He could well be worth a punt by Southampton in the league above over Rohl, therefore, as the German isn’t quite as experienced nor does he boast a similarly impressive win record.
Moreover, even when Corberan’s side haven’t basked in the glory of another three points this season, they’ve very rarely been out of contests in a similar manner to Martin’s sobering last match in charge versus Spurs.
Only three losses have come their way this season in the unforgiving Championship, with a staggering 11 draws picked up, as the likes of Karlan Grant have also managed to turn around their faltering time at the Hawthorns under the highly thought-of coach.
He now has five league goals next to his name as a returning member of the squad, having been out on loan all of last season, with the Saints hopeful that Corberan can re-energise the failing troops on the South Coast if he is handed the reins soon.
Rohl still has some way to go in learning the ropes of the English game, when you also glance at the fact he has tasted eight defeats in charge of his inconsistent Owls side this campaign in the Championship.
Whereas, it does feel like Corberan’s time for a Premier League job post is in the here and now, as Southampton now perhaps waiting to offer him that opportunity.
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