Following their sacking of Nathan Jones, Southampton have been quick to identify potential candidates to take the reins at St. Mary’s.
Saints’ approach for Jesse Marsch seems to have gone down a dead end, but there are other names out there.
One name that has emerged as a possibility is Torino manager, Ivan Juric. According to The Athletic, Southampton have already enquired about the Croatian who is impressing in Serie A.
Juric has been working his way up the managerial ladder in Italy for quite some time and is now establishing himself at Torino who sit seventh in the league.
Juric is a disciple of Gian Piero Gasperini, who is certainly one of the most innovative coaches in Europe. Gasperini is the mastermind behind Atalanta’s remarkable rise to prominence in recent years and plays one of the most exciting brands of football on the continent., Juric has learned from him as an assistant coach at Inter and Palermo.
Gasperini has been described as a ‘special’ manager and is reportedly one of the names on Spurs’ shortlist should Antonio Conte leave north London at the end of the season.
Juric has taken many of Gasperini’s ideas and principles and applied them to his own teams making his sides very exciting to watch.
Juric’s Torino team have caught the eye this term, but, like many sides in Italy, they’re facing financial issues. They’ve just been forced to sell a key player in Sasa Lukic to Fulham and more departures could be on the way.
Of course, Juric’s appointment would come with some risks, as he has no experience of managing in the Premier League and we’ve seen managers from Serie A fail desperately in the past in England such as Walter Mazzari and Franceso Guidolin.
With Southampton keen to move on from the mistakes of the past, Juric could be the perfect choice to take the club forward into an exciting new era after a drab few months under Nathan Jones.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
