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Austrian departs after 173 games
Ralph Hasenhüttl has become the sixth Premier League manager to lose his job this season, following Southampton’s decision to sack the Austrian tactician. After reports in England suggested that the decision had been made on Sunday night, the top-flight club confirmed the news with a statement on their website on Monday morning.
“Everyone involved with the club would like to express their sincere thanks to Ralph for all of his efforts, as well as the unwavering commitment he has shown throughout his time as manager,” read a statement from the club, which also confirmed that assistant manager Richard Kitzbichler had also left the club and that Rubén Sellés would be installed as an interim manager for the time being.
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Hasenhüttl made the move to Southampton in December 2018, following successful stints at Ingolstadt and RB Leipzig in Germany. Replacing Mark Hughes at the club, the Austrian manager then earned a credible 11th-placed finish in his first full season at the club, followed by two 15th-place finishes. However, the 2022/23 campaign started in dreadful fashion and after just three wins from 14 games the club have decided to part ways with the 55-year-old coach.
#SaintsFC would like to express its sincere thanks to Ralph Hasenhüttl for all of his efforts, as well as the unwavering commitment he has shown throughout his time as manager. pic.twitter.com/pNGnUC5z29
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) November 7, 2022
Stuck in a tricky situation – why things didn’t work out for Hasenhüttl
Although Hasenhüttl departs the Saints with a distinctly average record of just 1.26 points per game, the former Bundesliga tactician has had to oversee a huge turnover of players at the club each season and was considered to have one of the trickiest jobs in the Premier League over the past few season.
For example, since taking over at the club, Hasenhüttl had to contend with losing star players each season to bigger clubs in the Premier League. In the 2020/21 season, Tottenham Hotspur swooped for Pierre-Emile Höjbjerg, while their north London rivals Arsenal picked up Cédric Soares. And in the following season, the club lost Danny Ings and Jannik Vestergaard to league rivals with deeper pockets.
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Such was the extent of Southampton’s inability to hold on to key, senior players that the club seemingly changed direction entirely this season by opting for much younger players in the summer window, spending around €71 million on young talents like Gavin Bazunu, Sékou Mara, Roméo Lavia and Armel Bella-Kotchap. However, it now seems as though the Saints no longer trust Hasenhüttl to coach and develop said talents and will turn to another manager to take on the role.
Southampton move quick to appoint successor
The south coast side clearly had a planned successor in mind when they did relieve Hasenhüttl of his duties on Monday morning, if reports in England are to be believed. According to the Athletic, the Premier League outfit have not only been given permission by Luton Town to speak to head coach Nathan Jones about becoming the new Southampton manager but that a verbal agreement has already been reached.
According to the publication, Jones is one of several options that Southampton were looking at but and is now set to become the next manager of the club. Following his successful second spell at Luton, which saw him take the club to the Championship play-offs after finishing sixth in the English second tier last season, Jones will surely be interested in testing himself at a higher level.
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