Southampton are eyeing a move for Torino boss Ivan Juric – months after feeling that he was too expensive.
That’s according to the Daily Mail, who claim that Juric is a major candidate for the Saints job.
Southampton parted ways with Nathan Jones on Sunday after just three months in charge.
Jones arrived from Luton Town in November but poor results and a dreadful relationship with the fanbase have resulted in a swift exit.
Southampton are now looking towards Juric – a manager they wanted before appointing Jones as the successor to Ralph Hasenhuttl.
It’s stated that people inside Southampton are big fans of Juric and actually wanted to appoint him ahead of Jones.
However, Southampton felt that he was too expensive back then and preferred to go with the Welshman.
The Saints may now rethink their stance on Juric, no doubt sensing the very real possibility of relegation without a quality appointment.
Who is Southampton target Ivan Juric?
Juric had a strong playing career, turning out for the likes of Hajduk Split, Sevilla and Albacete.
Juric finished his career in Italy with Crotone and then Genoa, recording five Croatia caps in the process.
A move into coaching with the Genoa youth setup followed before he became Gian Piero Gasperini’s assistant manager at Inter Milan in 2011.
Gasperini and Juric had worked together at Crotona and Genoa but they lasted just a few months together at Inter.
Juric followed Gasperini to Palermo in 2012 before going off to be a manager in his own right, becoming Mantova boss for the 2014-15 season.
Crotone handed him an emotional return in 2015 but Genoa came calling after just one year in charge.
That sparked a bizarre situation where was appointed on three separate occasions with Genoa, struggling for success in all three stints.
Juric moved on to Verona and secured ninth and tenth place finishes before joining Torino in 2021.
10th last season and seventh so far this term, Juric has rebuilt his reputation since that Genoa chaos.
47-year-old Juric has built up a reputation of having mean defences and that’s something Southampton may well need in their battle against the drop.
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