Southampton are now reportedly weighing up a move for a mystery new manager to replace Russell Martin in the St Mary's hotseat, Sky Sports have claimed.
Southampton looking for a new manager
With just one win in the Premier League so far, Southampton were persuaded to finally part ways with Martin after they were thrashed 5-0 by Tottenham. 3-0 down inside 15 minutes, they were 5-0 down by half time and it could have been several more had Spurs not taken their foot off the gas in the second half.
Archie-Gray-Tottenham
It left Southampton rooted to the bottom of the Premier League with just five points to their name, and having conceded the second most goals in the division, and change felt inevitable.
Southampton under Russell Martin in the Premier League
Games
Wins
Losses
Goals conceded
Goals scored
That change came just hours after the result, with a club statement explaining: "We can confirm that we have taken the difficult decision to part ways with our Men’s First Team Manager, Russell Martin.
"The reality of our situation is clear. The board have supported Russell and his staff and been open and transparent regarding our expectations. We have all been on the same page in recognising the urgency of needing results to improve."
The Saints have a Carabao Cup quarter final to negotiate with Simon Rusk in interim charge, welcoming Liverpool to St Mary's. They also face a run of fixtures over the festive period that features Fulham, West Ham, Brentford and Crystal Palace, all of which will be seen as potentially winnable games.
Understandably, therefore, there is a desire to make a swift appointment as they look to climb off the foot of the Premier League, and Sky Sports have now provided an intruiging update.
Southampton linked with mystery manager
Plenty of managers have already been linked with the St Mary's hotseat in recent days, with former Denmark boss Kasper Hjulmand reportedly among those under consideration for the role. Carlos Corberan is another that has been mentioned as in contention, but Sky have now provided a new update on the situation.
They report that while Daniele De Rossi is not among those under consideration, "we're also told there is one other foreign coach, unnamed, that Southampton are interested in".
It is still unclear who Southampton will ultimately opt for, but Corberan's release clause (believed to be around £2m) could prove prohibitive, something that could mean that they move for a currently out of work manager to fill the void on the south coast.
One name that has also been mentioned is that of former Torino and lately Roma manager Ivan Juric, who is also out of work at present.
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With time running out to try and turn their season around, Southampton need to make sure that they get their next appointment right.