Next Southampton manager: Three ex-Bristol City men tipped to succeed Ralph Hasenhuttl

Southampton are on the search for a new manager after parting company with Austrian Ralph Hasenhuttl. The Saints were in the relegation zone after losing 4-1 to Newcastle United at St Mary’s on Saturday.

Hassenhuttl had been in charge since December 2018 after taking over from Mark Hughes, and survived two 9-0 defeats during his tenure. Southampton are now under the stewardship of Ruben Selles who will take charge of their Carabao Cup tie with Sheffield Wednesday.

Attention now turns as to who could replace Hassenhuttl in the hot seat. Southampton have been in the Premier League since 2012 and the next appointment will be key for preserving their top-flight status. Hassenhuttl’s departure from the Hampshire club had only been confirmed this morning but already talks about who will replace him have begun.

Nathan Jones has been installed as the early favourite for the job. Jones is manager of Bristol City’s Championship rivals Luton Town. Jones is into his second spell at Kenilworth Road after leading the club to back-to-back promotions from League Two.

The 49-year-old had a short stint at Stoke City but was unsuccessful during his time at the Midlands. He has not managed or coached in the Premier League and his experience comes from the lower leagues. Jones did guide Luton Town, who have the smallest ground in the Championship to the play-offs last season however.

Sean Dyche, formerly of Bristol City is the second favourite and this could be an opportunity he has been waiting for. Dyche was part of City’s promotion winning side in 1997 but were relegated the season after and joined Luton Town, which paved the way for his permanent exit to Millwall. In total he played 20 times for the Robins under John Ward and later Benny Lennartsson.

Marcelo Gallardo, currently the manager of River Plate is currently in line of the candidates being spoken about. Gallardo has been in charge of River Plate since 2014 and  has won two Copa Libertadores - the South American equivalent of the Champions League.

An ex-Bristol City striker, Mark Robins is a far outside contender for the role. Robins is the longest-serving manager in the Championship at Coventry City. Robins had a short loan spell in 2003 at Ashton Gate, scoring four goals in six appearances from Rotherham United.

Robins has the same probability of securing the job as Tony Pulis, another person with links to Bristol City. Pulis played 130 times for inter-city rivals Bristol Rovers but had a short spell as manager of the Robins in 1999. The 64-year-old moved on to Portsmouth and went on to be successful at Stoke City, guiding them into Europe. Pulis has not been in management since being sacked from Sheffield Wednesday after winning just one of the ten games in charge of the Yorkshire club.

Next Southampton manager (as per BetVictor at 11:15)

• Nathan Jones - 1/2
• Sean Dyche - 4/1
• Marcelo Gallardo - 4/1
• Kjetil Knutsen - 12/1
• Mauricio Pochettino - 20/1
• Tony Pulis - 33/1
• Mark Robins - 33/1