Southampton were considering Roberto de Zerbi before the former Shakhtar Donetsk boss took over at Premier League rivals Brighton and Hove Albion and scrubbed his name off the list of potential Ralph Hasenhuttl replacements, according to The Athletic.
Considering his Saints side tended to lurch from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows during his four-year tenure, it should perhaps come as no surprise that the Hasenhuttl era came to an end with a 4-1 home defeat to Newcastle United, so soon after after guiding Southampton to impressive results against Chelsea and Arsenal.
Sunday’s battering by Eddie Howe’s Champions League chasers proved to be the final straw for the Austrian. Nathan Jones, after guiding an unfancied Luton Town side into the Championship play-offs against all odds last term, looks set to step into Hasenhuttl’s shoes.
Providing he does not take a leaf out of Mick Beale’s book, that is.
Southampton could replace Ralph Hasenhuttl with Luton Town boss Nathan Jones
Luton have confirmed, via their official website, that Jones has been given permission to speak to Southampton. Given how quickly the Saints set about chasing the 49-year-old Welshman, there can be no doubting the identity of their number one target. There was to be no Tottenham 2021-style dithering; Jones almost certain to be in the dugout by the time the World Cup break comes to an end.
According to The Athletic, Nottingham Forest’s Steve Cooper and Brentford’s Thomas Frank have both featured on Southampton’s wishlist at one point or another. Ditto former Wolves boss Bruno Lage.
De Zerbi, however, removed his name from the frame when replacing Graham Potter down the road at the Amex. After a sluggish start (at least in terms of results), Brighton have now won two in a row; hammering Chelsea 4-1 before securing a dramatic late win at struggling Wolves.
90Min say that Gerardo Seoane, recently sacked by Bayer Leverkusen, was also under consideration before Southampton opted for Jones. Ex-River Plate boss Marcelo Gallardo is another.
Jones, then, is hardly the most high-profile replacement. He does, however, have a proven track record when it comes to working with talented young players. Jones also built a team far greater than the sum of it’s parts during two spells at Luton.
An overachieving Hatters team are currently eighth in the Championship table. The midweek trip to former employers Stoke City could be Jones’ final game at the helm.
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