Next Southampton manager - the contenders
By Mitch Wilks
After almost four years, a handful of highs and a worrying number of 9-0 defeats, Ralph Hasenhuttl's time at Southampton is up, with the club 18th in the Premier League table after 14 games.
Hasenhuttl's time in the hot seat at St. Mary's was a streaky one, to say the least. While on their day they were capable of putting together insatiable and mightily impressive footballing displays and pull together a strong run of results, they were also just as susceptible to being ripped apart mercilessly, seemingly at any given moment. Southampton have decided to relieve the Austrian of his duties either during the World Cup break, or ahead of the final game before it.
So with Hasenhuttl out, here are the managers waiting in the wings, ready to take the job on the south coast.
Gerardo Seoane
Clubs managed: Luzern, Young Boys, Bayer Leverkusen
Having taken Hasenhuttl from the Bundesliga, Southampton could go in search of yet more German top tier alumni as his replacement.
Seoane is out of work after being sacked as Bayer Leverkusen boss in October 2022, just months after leading them to their highest Bundesliga finish in seven seasons. Bayer finished third in an unlikely push for the title, having previously won the Swiss Super League three times with Young Boys and guiding them to the Champions League group stages for the first time ever.
At just 44 years old, Seoane clearly has plenty to learn and the way he left Leverkusen shows that. But he would be the ideal progression from Hasenhuttl and rather similar in profile.
Nathan Jones
Clubs managed: Brighton (caretaker), Luton Town, Stoke
Shoud Southampton opt for a domestic appointment, there's every chance they could plump for Luton's highly-rated manager Nathan Jones.
The Welshman has enjoyed two hugely successful spells at Kenilworth Road - sandwiched between a disappointing short stint at Stoke City - and led The Hatters into last season's Championship play-offs.
Luton were ultimately defeated by Huddersfield in the semi-final, but Jones has taken the club a long way after assuming control when they were in League Two. Back-to-back promotions in 2018 and 2019 the highlight of an impressive CV.
Scott Parker
Clubs managed: Fulham, Bournemouth
A Premier League managerial casualty already this season, Parker has seen it all in his short career so far as a manager.
He led Fulham to promotion back to the top flight during his first ever season as a coach in 2019/20, via the Championship play-offs. They couldn't retain Premier League status the year after and he opted to leave the club to join Bournemouth for 2021/22, who he guided to automatic Premier League promotion.
After a summer where he was disgruntled at a lack of investment, Parker was gone just four games into the current season having lost to Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool following an opening weekend win over Aston Villa. He's got something, has Scotty, and Southampton might be the right fit.
Bo Svensson
Clubs managed: FC Liefering, Mainz 05
The 43-year-old was heavily linked with the vacant post at Brighton before Roberto De Zerbi took charge, thus another Premier League opening down south wouldn't be too outlandish an idea.
Svensson is another young manager and - like Hasenhuttl - has impressed in Germany. After starting out in Austria's second tier, Mainz took a chance on the Dane in January 2021. Since then, they've gone from almost certain relegation candidates to Bundesliga high-flyers.
He'd be a serious coup if Southampton could pull it off, if a little ambitious. But having transformed a relegation-threatened top flight side before, he could be worth every penny for the Saints.
Matthias Jaissle
Clubs managed: FC Liefering, Red Bull Salzburg
Having impressed in various youth setups, it was the young Jaissle who was drafted in at Austrian outfit Liefering to take over a certain Svensson in January 2021.
By July, he was in the top tier with Red Bull Salzburg and has since then continued to make a name for himself as one of the most exciting young managers in Europe, with appearances in the Champions League.
Jaissle is also 34 years old. Thirty four. And managing sides in top European competitions. Obscene.
Lucien Favre
Clubs managed: Echallens, Yverdon Sport, Servette, Zurich, Hertha BSC, Borussia Monchengladbach, Nice, Borussia Dortmund, Nice
An experienced option among plenty of youthful suggestions, Favre has certainly seen a lot of football.
It hasn't always been plain sailing for Favre, who is best known for a spell at Borussia Dortmund, but what he does bring is plenty of know-how and a rather full CV. He's currently in a second spell at Ligue 1 side Nice, but was linked heavily to Crystal Palace in the past.
He's also never managed in the Premier League, thus you could imagine he'd jump at the chance to do so.