Torino and Serie A coach Ivan Juric turned down the chance to take over at Southampton before the Premier League strugglers hired Nathan Jones as Ralph Hasenhuttl’s successor, according to Italian publication La Stampa.
Ten years after plucking the rough diamond that was Mauricio Pochettino from Espanyol, Saints supporters will be hoping they have re-captured lightning in a bottle, taking the rather surprising step of hiring Jones as their new head coach.
The wide-eyed Welshman dragged an unfancied Luton Town side into the Championship play-offs last term. The admittedly-remarkable job he did at Kenilworth Road still went somewhat under the radar, however; eyebrows raised as Southampton chose Jones over more high-profile targets such as Gerardo Seoane and ex-River Plate boss Marcelo Gallardo.
Jones was not the only manager who reached the negotiation stage, though.
Southampton held talks with Serie A coach Ivan Juric before Nathan Jones hire
According to La Stampa, via Torino Granata, Southampton held talks with Juric at the start of November. A week or so before Jones’ appointment. The 47-year-old Croatian, like many of Southampton’s recent hires, is renowned for a fast-paced, high-intensity style. An approach built around swashbuckling full-backs and hard-pressing.
Juric, La Stampa adds, listened to Southampton’s offer before opting to stay put.
The Split-born tactician is one of the most highly-rated coaches in Italian football. He impressively led Hellas Verona to successive top-half finishes following their promotion in 2019.
Torino also finished 10th in Juric’s debut campaign at the Stadio Olimpico; a marked improvement from their two previous campaigns. 17th and 16th respectively.
Per Tuttosport, Juric was also sounded out by Nottingham Forest when Steve Cooper appeared to be hanging by a thread earlier in the season. When quizzed about those links, however, the former Inter Milan assistant was reluctant to give much away.
“We are here, working for what’s best for Toro,” Juric said. “Everything else is just chatter and does not count.”
Cooper would put such speculation to bed anyway, signing a new long-term deal. The former England U17 boss is now under contract until 2025 at the City Ground.
Both Forest and Southampton, meanwhile, went into the World Cup break stuck in the relegation zone. Southampton are 19th with 12 points. Nottingham Forest are one place and one point better off.
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