Hasenhuttl helped the Saints survive relegation last term and is embarking on his first full Premier League season.
Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl believes that, in terms of comparisons with Bundesliga teams, the Saints are most similar to Mainz or Freiburg.
Both clubs are relatively modest in the German top flight – “limited in our possibilities” as Hasenhuttl put it – but as he explained to the Daily Echo, they – like Southampton – are taking a “very sustainable and healthy path” and are “self-financing”.
Mainz finished 12th in the Bundesliga last season, but in 2016 they sealed sixth place while two years earlier they were seventh in the table, and Freiburg have claimed three top-ten finishes over the past 10 years, including fifth in 2013.
“In the Bundesliga, I would probably compare us with Mainz or Freiburg,” he told the Daily Echo. “We are limited in our possibilities, but we are taking a very sustainable and healthy path: we are a self-financing system, living from purchases and sales.”
Hasenhuttl is about to embark on his first full season in the Premier League and will be hoping to ensure Southampton do not add to their two consecutive campaigns fighting relegation.
The 51-year-old arrived at St Mary’s Stadium in December following the departure of Mark Hughes and results soon picked up, though there were alarm bells ringing when Southampton slipped back into the bottom three in February.
However, the Saints soon rallied and victories over Fulham, Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton & Hove Albion contributed to the south coast side securing safety with two games remaining.
With Hasenhuttl having shown that he’s eager to give talented academy stars a chance in the first team, plus his focus on having a sustainable, self-financing club, it certainly bodes well for the future of Southampton FC with him at the helm.
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