Southampton sacked manager Mauricio Pellegrino on Monday.
Southampton are looking for a new manager after deciding to sack Mauricio Pellegrino on Monday night, less than a year after his arrival.
The Saints are hovering precariously above the relegation zone, and Pellegrino has been given his marching orders as Southampton attempt to stay in the top flight.
Saturday’s 3-0 defeat at Newcastle United proved to be Pellegrino’s final game in charge, which is somewhat ironic given that the man in charge of Newcastle was Rafael Benitez; Pellegrino’s mentor.
Not only did Benitez work with Pellegrino as a player at Valencia and Liverpool, but then made him a coach at Liverpool and then Inter Milan, before Pellegrino embarked on his own managerial career.
Pellegrino may now take some time out of management after a stressful campaign with Southampton, but Benitez may well consider offering the Argentinian a coaching role at Newcastle.
The pair have worked together in such a capacity before, with Pellegrino serving as a first team coach under Benitez, and returning to that role may just help Pellegrino learn more from Benitez whilst keeping him around the game.
Benitez hailed Pellegrino in an interview with the Daily Mail earlier this season, and if Pellegrino is open to such a move, then reuniting at Newcastle could be beneficial for all.
Benitez lost assistant Fabio Pecchia to Verona in 2016, and Pellegrino would bring another experienced coach to St James’ Park, rebuilding his reputation away from the spotlight whilst giving the Magpies more expertise on the training pitch.
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