Coming few weeks are crucial for Southampton football club as they are set to appoint a new manager following Ronald Koeman’s proposed move to Everton.
Now the difficult task for Saints is to find a manager who can work with similar impact despite financial limitations the clubs operates with. Southampton faced a similar situation back in 2014 when Maurico Pochettino left St. Mary’s to join Tottenham Hotspur.
It was then up to Koeman to guide the club forward and he has certainly done that. And now when the 53-year old Dutchman leaves, Southampton must not settle for an average replacement. rather they should go all out and bring their first choice targets instead of settling for less.
Managers linked with Southampton job
So far, we have heard the likes of Manuel Pellegrini and Frank De Boer get linked with the job and one can only think of the good work these men are capable of doing if given the job. One criticism or rather a reality for Southampton is the lack of money spent in recent transfer windows.
Both under Pochettino and Koeman, Saints signed lesser known players at a bargained price which has been the catalyst to their successful tenure ever since returning to the Premier League. Whoever comes in next, will need to be mindful of how much is he spending and what kind of players he is bringing in.
For all their hard work in recent seasons, now is not the time for Southampton to sit back and settle for second best. They must go out and prove that their top-half finishes in last 3 seasons are not a fluke and they deserve to be there. For that, summer recruitment will be absolutely vital both in terms of manager and the players.
Who deserves the job at St. Mary’s?
For me Manuel Pellegrini deserves to be named as the next Southampton manager simply because of his past Premier League experience. Former Real Madrid and Malaga manager was sacked by Manchester City following Pep Guardiola’s decision to join the Citizens this summer.
Pellegrini is looking for a new club and is keen on staying in Premier League before considering any other offer. Chilean’s managerial style saw City win the 2013/14 Premier League title and be one of the best teams in England during his 2-year stay.
If Southampton can give him considerable amount of money to work with, Pellegrini can make the difference and complete the work which Koeman has left in between. Southampton will need to convince Pellegrini in coming weeks as the Chilean is also linked with a move to AC Milan this summer.
Often we see a club respond to the new managerial appointment in the best way possible and Southampton would be hoping for the same as they look to announce their new man in charge in coming weeks.
