Southampton have landed their man Ralph Hasenhuttl
Austrian agrees deal to take over at St Mary's
Ralph Hasenhuttl has been named as the new Southampton manager after the Austrian agreed a two-and-a-half year deal with the St Mary’s club on Wednesday.
Hasenhuttl had been the only name in the frame for Saints following Mark Hughes’s sacking on Monday with bookies quickly closing their books on who would be the new man in the hotseat.
Chairman Ralph Krueger told Southampton's official website: "The urgency to find a path back to our potential and to the results that we expect cannot be underestimated. For that reason, we are extremely pleased that Ralph Hasenhuttl has agreed to become our new manager and do all he can to help guide us back on that path.
"This manager change offers us a fresh start and, very quickly, Ralph emerged as our ideal candidate. As a coach, he embodies the passion, structure, communication skill set, work ethic and appetite for growth that we strive for in our Southampton way. The quick, smooth and seamless negotiation process underlines the character of the person that he is.
“We have been aware of Ralph since his days at Ingolstadt, where he showed the qualities that we believe we need at the club. He has since gone on to develop those attributes with a track-record of success in the Bundesliga and with a progressive and ambitious club in Leipzig."
First-team coach Kelvin Davis will take charge for Wednesday's Premier League clash against Tottenham at Wembley and Saints are 19-2 for an unlikely victory. They are 18th in the table and can be backed at 7-2 to be relegated.
Manchester United’s Jose Mourinho is the 7-4 market leader to be the next manager to leave his post.
Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo is second favourite at 9-2 with Burnley’s Sean Dyche next best at 13-2.
All three are in action on Wednesday with their beleaguered sides and their futures could be even bleaker if the markets are an able barometer.
United (29-20), Wolves (4-1) and Burnley (13-1) are all underdogs for their fixtures with Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool and it could be a good night for favourite-backers.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp was yesterday fined £8,000 and warned about his future conduct by the Football Association for his on-pitch celebration against Everton on Sunday. Klopp accepted the decision.
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