Journalists Jacob Tanswell and Simon Johnson of The Athletic have shared an update on Southampton’s links to Torino manager Ivan Juric.
It looked like , before the deal collapsed at the last minute. Now, they have been forced to look elsewhere.
Whoever comes in will have a major challenge on their hands to keep the south coast club in the Premier League.
It is understood that assistant coach Ruben Selles will take charge of Southampton’s clash against Chelsea on Saturday, with a decision yet to be made on their permanent appointment.
Juric is one name who has been linked with a move to St. Mary’s and now Tanswell and Johnson have issued a telling update on their pursuit.
According to the journalists, writing for The Athletic, Southampton have ‘enquired’ about appointing Juric
However, they also state that so far, nothing is advanced, with no direct talks taking place as things stand.
The Torino boss would definitely be an excellent option though, so they may yet step up their pursuit if they opt against appointing Selles permanently.
The 47-year-old is having a fantastic season in the Serie A, guiding Torino to seventh place in the table, with Italian journos raving over his ‘brilliant’ tactics.
Juric was linked with a move to Southampton after Ralph Hassenhuttl was sacked last year, so there is no secret that the club are keen to appoint him.
Former Aston Villa and Rangers manager Steven Gerrard is also thought to be interested in the role, but reports linking him with the club have dried up in the last few days.
Saying that, if Southampton go and get a valuable three points against Chelsea, there’s a good chance that Selles will stay until the end of the season.
As mentioned, whoever takes up the role, they are going to have one hell of a challenge to keep the Saints in the Premier League.
As it stands, they are four points away from safety, but the big problem is that the teams around them in the table seem to be improving, while they don’t.
For instance, Bournemouth made some impressive signings in January and, which gives them a good chance of survival.
Leeds United, on the other hand, arguably have a strong enough squad to survive, as do West Ham, while the likes of Wolves, Nottingham Forest and Leicester have picked up some valuable points recently.
If they are going to bring someone in, the Saints need to appoint a new manager and start picking up points very quickly.