David Ornstein Says Southampton Keen on ‘Incredible’ Manager

Southampton could target a move for former Denmark manager Kasper Hjulmand in their search to appoint Russell Martin’s successor, according to journalist David Ornstein.

 

Saints sacked Martin immediately after their 5-0 home defeat by Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday night, with his successor tasked with trying to pull the club out of the mire they currently find themselves in.

The south coast outfit are nine points adrift of safety having taken just five points from their opening 16 matches of the Premier League campaign, and as things stand they remain firmly on course for an instant return to the Championship following their playoff victory against Leeds United just over six months ago.

 

Former Saints coach and now Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Rohl is one of the names to have been linked with the vacant post, but GIVEMESPORT sources believe that the compensation involved could be an issue and that the appointment of an out-of-work overseas option is more likely.

Hjulmand – labelled as “incredible” by Simon Kjaer – fits the bill having resigned as Denmark national team coach in July following a four-year spell in charge, with his biggest success coming in Euro 2020 when he led them to the semi-finals where they were narrowly beaten by England at Wembley.

 

His last job in club football came with Nordsjaelland in 2019 however, which may be a concern for some Saints supporters, while his previous role with Mainz in Germany lasted for just 24 matches with five wins picked up during that time.

Speaking about the latest on Southampton’s managerial situation on NBC sports, Ornstein said:

“There will be other names in the frame too. He’s [Danny Rohl] quite young and inexperienced, the likes of Kasper Hjulmand, who was the Denmark coach. He’s now out of work. Southampton have looked at him in the past.

“Their financial situation is okay. Actually, they’ve sorted out their wages to turnover ratio, which was really high when they were last in the Premier League. It’s not now, so they have some capacity to do something in January, but I think they’ll want to trim the squad as a priority.”

Southampton look unlikely to have their new man in place for the visit of Liverpool in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday, but they will hope to make progress in time for the visit to Fulham in the Premier League on Sunday.

That clash is the start of three matches in a week with fixtures to follow against West Ham United and Crystal Palace over the busy festive period, with the south coast club desperate to get some more points on the board.