Southampton are on the hunt for a new manager following the sacking of Russell Martin, and it appears that Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Rohl is a leading candidate for the vacancy.
Just hours after the 5-0 home defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday night, Southampton announced that they had made the "difficult decision" to part company with Martin, and he departs with the club sitting bottom of the Premier League table, nine points from safety.
Given their current predicament, the Saints will likely be keen to make a swift appointment, and Rohl is one of the names to have been linked with the role, along with Carlos Corberan, Kasper Hjulmand and Ivan Juric.
Compensation was initially thought to be a stumbling block for Southampton in their pursuit of Rohl, but a report from TEAMtalk on Tuesday afternoon claimed that the South Coast side are "confident" that they will be able to land the German, who is said to be "interested" in a return to St Mary's having previously spent time at the club as Ralph Hasenhuttl's assistant.
Rohl has done an outstanding job since taking over at Wednesday last October, and after leading the club to Championship survival last season following a remarkable turnaround, his side are currently ninth in the table, five points from the play-off places.
Danny Rohl's record as Sheffield Wednesday manager (as per Transfermarkt)
Games
Won
Drawn
Lost
Win percentage
The Owls will be desperate to keep hold of Rohl, but the Saints job could be tough for him to turn down, and we looked at three reasons he may be tempted to make the switch.
Opportunity to manage in the Premier League
danny rohl-2
While Southampton are significantly adrift at the bottom of the table, they are still a Premier League club, and that will be an appealing prospect for any manager, particularly one with Rohl's ambition.
There are big question marks over whether the Saints have enough quality in their squad to survive in the top flight, but there is no doubt that they are capable of more than they have shown so far.
Wednesday were in a similarly desperate position when Rohl arrived at Hillsborough last season, and he managed to lead them to safety, so he may back himself to mastermind another great escape.
Even if Rohl is unable to keep Southampton up, testing himself against the best every week would be a valuable learning experience for the 35-year-old, and given his strong Championship record, he would have an excellent chance of guiding them to an immediate return to the Premier League next season.
Greater financial resources
Sheffield Wednesday owner Dejphon Chansiri
Wednesday supporters have long held concerns about whether Rohl will be given enough support by owner Dejphon Chansiri in the transfer market to keep him at Hillsborough for the long-term.
In fairness to Chansiri, he did allow Rohl to spend £2.5 million on the permanent signing of striker Ike Ugbo in the summer, but aside from that, he has been limited to mainly loans or free transfers.
Speaking after the 1-0 defeat to Blackburn Rovers last week, Rohl seemed to lay the gauntlet down to Chansiri as he cryptically stated that "in January we will see in which direction we want to go", hinting that he may not be getting the budget he had hoped for in the winter window.
In contrast, Southampton spent a reported total of £108.3 million this summer following promotion, so owner Dragon Solak is certainly not afraid to splash the cash, and a greater level of backing could convince Rohl to make the move to St Mary's.
Connection with Southampton supporters
St Mary's Southampton
One of the main reasons that Rohl may decide to remain at Wednesday is his strong relationship with the Owls fan base.
That was on display again after the 3-1 win at Oxford United on Saturday as Rohl went over to celebrate with the large travelling contingent at full-time, so it would certainly be hard for him to walk away.
However, given that Rohl has previously worked at St Mary's, he will already be appreciated on the South Coast, and that would help him to form a similar connection with the Southampton supporters.
During his time as Hasenhuttl's assistant, Rohl helped the Saints achieve Premier League safety in the 2018-19 season, and it is widely believed that his departure to Bayern Munich had a negative impact, so he would likely be warmly welcomed back to the club.