Next Southampton Manager Odds: Early candidates to replace sacked Nathan Jones
Southampton are searching for their third manager of a turbulent season after they sacked Nathan Jones.
Jones lasted all of eight Premier League matches, seven of which he lost, including Saturday's 2-1 defeat at home to relegation rivals Wolves, who remarkably had 59% possession despite playing with 10 men for over an hour.
In truth, the Welshman faced a tough task upon his appointment but a combination of poor performances, disappointing results, and a complete disconnect with the supporters resulted in the sack just three months after he replaced Ralph Hasenhuttl.
The Saints have now lost nine of their last 10 league games, are rooted to the foot of the table, and are four points adrift of safety having played a game more then a couple of the teams above them.
This means it may well be difficult to attract certain managers, but fans can only hope.
Below we take an early look at the next Southampton manager odds as the club bid to make an appointment that can get the support back on side and in turn galvanise the squad as they bid to conjure up a fight for survival.
Not only do Southampton have to try and persuade a manager to take charge of a club in their dire situation but they have the double-whammy of having a fellow struggler - Leeds - also prowling the same market for a new manager. Inevitably managers will be linked with both clubs.
At the time of writing, it's Steven Gerrard who is the slender favourite for the Saints job with most bookmakers.
You can't doubt his passion and he did deliver Rangers an inspirational league title, however, whether Gerrard is the right fit for the Saints right now is open to debate. He was only recently sacked by Aston Villa due to a combination of poor results and a disconnect with the fans...sound familiar?
Another sacked Premier League manager with relatively slim odds is Jesse Marsch, axed by the aforementioned Leeds last week. Like Gerrard, the American could be a difficult sell to many fans.
Marcelo Gallardo hovers between 5/1 and 10/1 in the odds yet while the two-time Copa Libertadores winner would be a superb addition to the Premier League, it's difficult to envision a manager of his calibre taking over a club at the foot of the table with all of one win since October.
Although, it's worth noting that the former River Plate boss was hotly linked in November.
Similarly, it's surprising to see former Saint Mauricio Pochettino so short at just 8/1 and 9/1 with a couple of bookmakers.
A shock appointment in January 2013, Pochettino instantly swatted aside any early criticism with his brand of entertaining and high-pressing football which elevated the club away from the drop zone, and later inspired an 8th place finish.
The Argentine then fired Spurs to a Champions League final and won three trophies in his last job at PSG. A return to St Mary's would be simply stunning but extremely remote, unfortunately.
A more realistic option could be former Wolves and Spurs boss Nuno Santo - now in Saudi Arabia at Al-Ittihad - who can be backed out at double figures to return to the Premier League (10/1, Paddy Power/Betfair).
Former Eintracht Frankfurt and Borussia Mönchengladbach boss Adi Hutter is looking to return to the touchline, as is Lucien Favre, while Matthias Jaissle of Red Bull Salzburg was briefly linked last time out.
Could the Saints simply hand the job to caretaker Ruben Selles (10/1, Paddy Power/Betfair) until the end of the season and reassess in the summer?
Selles oversaw the club for one cup win after Ralph Hasenhüttl departed and will take charge of Saturday's trip to Chelsea.
Speaking of Ralph, he's also 10/1 to return to the club three months after he was let go. Stranger things have happened...
Other managers that feature at this early stage include Rafa Benitez, Marcelo Bielsa, Kjetil Knutsen, Matthias Jaissle, Kasper Hjulman, and even Big Sam.
