Gary O’Neill is a “strong candidate” for Southampton’s currently vacant managerial role, with the club sharing an updated timeline for a new manager in a recent update.
Southampton, who became the first team in Premier League history to be relegated with just seven games left last season, had hoped to return to the top flight as soon as possible. In the summer, Will Still, who established himself with Reims and Reims in Ligue 1, moved to St Mary’s.
Despite a flurry of signings in the summer, Still struggled to establish a relationship with the Saints, winning just two of 13 Championship games. After three consecutive losses, Still was fired and Under-21 coach Tonda Eckert took over the club on an interim basis.
Eckert, who led Southampton to a 2-1 victory away at Queen’s Park Rangers, will remain in charge of the team until Southampton appoint him permanently. Now, the Saints appear to be closing in on finding a replacement for Steele.
Will O’Neill replace Southampton?
According to Telegraph reporter Mike McGrath, O’Neill is in strong competition for the Southampton post with “people admired at St Mary’s after stints at Bournemouth and Wolves”.
O’Neill gained his first senior management experience at Bournemouth, replacing Scott Parker and keeping the Cherries at the top of the table until he was replaced by Andoni Iraola.
O’Neill’s next job will be at Wolves, where he will replace Julen Lopetegui, 42, at the start of the 2023/24 season. Despite successfully guiding the club to a mid-table finish, the Englishman’s form did not improve in the early stages of the following season, which led to his sacking.
Wolves are themselves looking for a new manager following the sacking of Vitor Pereira, and there was a chance they would have brought O’Neill back to the club, but the manager has now resigned.
O’Neill, who shares the same agent as Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and Newcastle manager Eddie Howe, tends to favor the 3-4-2-1 formation that saw him succeed in his early days at Wolves. In theory, such a set-up would work well for Southampton and their current squad.
McGrath also reported on the search for a new manager, saying: “It’s still early days for Southampton.” Given his free agent status, O’Neal will be available immediately, which could further improve his chances of getting the job.
Whoever takes over at Southampton will be expected to lead the club into the play-offs. Whether that person ends up being O’Neal remains to be seen.
