Southampton are currently eyeing Russell Martin to replace Will Still, who was sacked on Sunday night, but could be in contention with their Championship rivals for his signature.
After being relegated from the Premier League last season, Saints were expected to aim for promotion, but they have had a dismal start to the season with just 12 points from their opening 13 games.
Sporting Republic sacked Still on Saturday following a 2-0 home defeat to Preston North End, with Under-21s head coach Tonda Eckert emerging as a candidate to take over as first-team manager.
However, considering that Eckert is only 32 years old and has yet to prove himself at the top level, and that an external appointment is also being considered, appointing Eckert would be a gamble…
Southampton target Russell Martin to replace Will Still
According to journalist Alan Nixon (via GiveMeSport), Southampton are currently eyeing former manager Martin to replace Still, with the 39-year-old recently sacked by Scottish giants Rangers, with the 39-year-old awaiting a speedy return to management.
However, Saints are not the only Championship club interested, with Norwich City also revealed to be considering a move for the Englishman, given that Liam Manning’s future is in doubt.
The Brighton-born manager is available for free and is an attractive option for the two Championship clubs, who could vie for his achievements.
In fact, the former Rangers manager’s spell at Ibrox was a total failure, as he was sacked after just 17 games in charge, making him the shortest-serving permanent manager in the Scottish team’s history.
However, the “exciting” manager, hailed by analyst John Walker, could still be a good appointment for Southampton given his previous success with St Mary’s, where he led them to promotion in the play-off final in 2023-24.
The former Swansea City manager, who prefers to implement a 4-3-3 system, is also experienced at Championship level, having been in charge of 138 games in the second tier.
Russell Martin Championship Record | |
|---|---|
game | 138 |
victory | 60 |
draw | 34 |
loss | 44 |
Points per match | 1.55 |
However, appointing Martin would probably be a setback, given that he lost 13 of his opening 16 Premier League games, failed to make the step up to the Premier League and was sacked by Saints less than a year later.
