Sources: 'Exceptional' manager agrees to take Southampton job as Saints overlook Rohl and Corberan
Today at 06:15 AM
TBR Football can exclusively reveal that Southampton have settled on their first-choice manager target after deciding against raiding Sheffield Wednesday or West Brom for Danny Rohl or Carlos Corberan.
The Saints always preferred the idea of bringing in a free-agent manager rather than negotiating with one currently under contract elsewhere.
Carlos Corberan has a £2.5 million release clause in his West Bromwich Albion deal, for instance, while Sheffield Wednesday would also expect competition for the 35-year-old Danny Rohl.
The costs involved, plus the prospect of a lengthy and difficult negotiation, made the idea of hiring a manager currently out of work that bit more appealing to the St Mary’s bosses.
Hence why, Southampton installed former Roma coach Ivan Juric as their number one target after opting against stepping up their interest in either Corberan or Rohl.
Ivan Juric agrees to take Southampton job after Russell Martin exit
TBR Football's chief correspondent Graeme Bailey can reveal that, not only have the Premier League strugglers settled on terms with Ivan Juric, the Croatian has also agreed to step into the void created by Russell Martin’s departure in the aftermath of that 5-0 home defeat by Tottenham Hotspur last weekend.
Southampton liked ex-Denmark chief Kasper Hjulmand too. Santa Clara boss Vasco Matos was on The Saints’ radar as well. But Juric is now the clear frontrunner ahead of Sunday’s trip to Fulham.
Juric, a Split-born 49-year-old, has been on Southampton’s radar before.
He was heavily linked back in 2023, when The Saints were plummeting towards relegation with the Nathan Jones tenure proving to be nothing short of a disaster.
There are a few reasons why Ivan Juric appeals to Southampton, meanwhile.
While his most recent stint in charge of Serie A underachievers Roma lasted only 12 matches, the one-time Sevilla midfielder does have a very impressive record when it comes to creating teams far greater than the sum of their parts.
He secured five successive top-half Serie A finishes with Hellas Verona – who have battled relegation since his departure – and Torino.
And though a top-ten placing may be little more than a pipe dream at St Mary’s, Southampton will be hoping that Juric can bring in a sense of organisation and aggression – with and without the ball – while harnessing the underdog spirit that has worked wonders for him in the past.
Southampton may be nine points adrift of safety but there are still 22 games remaining and 66 points to play for.
Ivan Juric’s style has been likened to Atalanta’s under Gian Piero Gasperini
TBR can also reveal that Ivan Juric will sign an 18-month deal, albeit with break clauses. Southampton will look at the situation again in the summer. Both parties will have the right to walk away should they feel that things have not worked out.
This, then, is a relatively low risk, potentially high-reward appointment. Low-cost, too.
Over in Italy, during his time at Torino, Juric’s so-called ‘death metal’ football – to quote The Guardian – saw him likened to Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini.
Like the 2024 Europa League champion, Juric often sets his team up to press aggressively, engaging man-to-man marking all across the pitch. This is a risky strategy, yes, particularly for a Southampton team so low in confidence and so slack defensively.
Yet, the fact that Juric turned Hellas Verona and Torino into top-half outfits is proof that his system can work brilliantly if the players buy in.
"For me, someone who coaches Torino, taking them from the relegation zone and bringing them close to the Europe, can coach anywhere," Beppe Ursino, a former director who knew Juric from his time at Crotone, told Tuttomercatoweb.
"Juric is an exceptional person who cares about the team, the club and its players. Then, on the field, they have to do what he says. The same thing (Gian Piero) Gasperini."
