Skip to content

Report: Southampton nearing swift Hasenhuttl appointment

Thomas Starke / Bongarts / Getty

Southampton are looking to conclude the appointment of Ralph Hasenhuttl prior to Wednesday's trip to Tottenham Hotspur, allowing him to watch his new charges from the Wembley stands, according to the Guardian's David Hytner.

The Austrian manager has reportedly been on the club's radar since he was with Ingolstadt in 2014, but the Saints opted to hire Ronald Koeman as Mauricio Pochettino's successor that summer. Now, over four years later, it's understood Hasenhuttl is set to ink a contract that will keep him on the south coast until 2021.

Hasenhuttl has enhanced his reputation further since Southampton's initial interest, guiding RB Leipzig to a second-place finish in the 2016-17 Bundesliga campaign. He is noted for his knack of developing young players - a proud tradition at Southampton that seemed to be lost through the managerial regimes of Claude Puel, Mauricio Pellegrino, and Mark Hughes - and his preference for a fast-paced, pressing style of football.

Rather than appoint a short-term fix like Sam Allardyce or David Moyes to ward off relegation, the priority appears to be rediscovering an identity through a restructure at St Mary's. Vice-chairman Les Reed and technical director Martin Hunter both departed the club earlier this term and Hughes followed them Monday.

Under Hughes' watch, Southampton's Premier League form was dire: they dropped 20 points from winning positions and won just three of their 22 matches. The Saints are positioned 18th in the table before this season's 15th round of fixtures.

Former Southampton goalkeeper and current first-team coach Kelvin Davis will assume interim responsibilities for the Spurs match before Hasenhuttl is expected to take the reins on a full-time basis. If everything goes through as anticipated, his first match in charge should be Saturday's clash at relegation rivals Cardiff City.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox