Southampton set to appoint Ivan Juric as their new manager

The Saints have endured a dismal start to the season and sit bottom of the Premier League table on just five points. Juric will be tasked with trying to guide them to survival.

The 49-year-old coach was most recently manager of Roma, where he was sacked by Everton's new owners, The Friedkin Group, after just 12 games in charge.

According to journalist David Ornstein, Southampton have now 'agreed a deal' with Juric and he is set to take the reins at St Mary's imminently.

"Southampton have agreed a deal with Ivan Juric to become their new manager," wrote Ornstein for The Athletic.

"Juric has agreed a deal until the summer of 2026 with the a two-year option to extend. The contracts are being drafted and Juric is expected to arrive in the UK today (Friday).

"The Croatian will have a visa appointment and, if all goes to plan, he will be in place for Southampton's trip to Fulham on Sunday."

Southampton have moved quickly to find a new manager and will hope that Juric proves to be the right choice. Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Rohl was heavily linked with the Saints, but the club have opted to go in a different direction.

Southampton have a long-standing interest in Juric and made him their top target before Nathan Jones was ultimately appointed in 2022.

The Saints now face an extremely difficult task in trying to avoid relegation. Their tally of only five points from 16 games represents the third-worst start to a season since the Premier League began.

They are currently nine points away from safety. As mentioned, their next match is against Fulham, who have been largely excellent this season, before they face West Ham (home) and Crystal Palace (away) in what could prove to be crucial fixtures.

If you thought Jurgen Klopp was the manger who brought 'heavy metal football' to the Premier League, then prepare yourself for Juric.

Back in 2010, towards the end of his playing career â- which included spells with the likes of Sevilla and Genoa â- Juric revealed his passion for extreme metal bands such as Napalm Death, Carcass and Obituary.

But, more importantly, what of his approach on the pitch?

Juric's coaching career began in 2011 when Gian Piero Gasperini, his old boss at Genoa, chose him as an assistant manager for what would turn out to be a brief spell at Inter Milan.

As a head coach himself, Juric has until now spent his entire career in Italy, leading Mantova and Crotone in the lower leagues. He led the latter to Serie A by 2016, but returned to Genoa instead to take the reins there for the first of three brief spells.

Juric subsequently impressed at Hellas Verona, achieving a 9th place and then a 10th place finish with a side that were newly promoted when he took charge. After that, his longest body of work began with Torino, where he worked for three seasons and maintained the side just in the top half of the table. Torino were the only club other than Crotone where he won more games than he lost.

His biggest job yet was earned in September when Roma appointed him after dramatically sacking Daniele De Rossi four games into the season. Juric won his first game comfortably, but things soon spiralled out of control and fans began to turn on him, believing he wasn't up to the task.

The lowest points were a loss to Elfsborg in the Europa League a 5-1 thrashing by Fiorentina and Serie A. He left them 12th in Serie A.

Roma ultimately retracted their faith in Juric after just 12 games, of which he won four, drew three and lost five, but it could be argued that the circumstances he was put in did not help his case. Various pundits had previously made his case for getting a chance with a club of their calibre, but he inherited a tough situation at a club where expectations are usually higher than reality, and this season the gap has been wider than normal. Yet he certainly played a part in that.

In terms of tactics, Juric favours a formation with three at the back. At Roma, he ensured this philosophy ran into the youth team too, in preparation for any first-team call-ups.

Expect fireworks on and off the pitch. Juric has had his clashes with directors at some of his former clubs, especially at Torino, where a heated clash with sporting director Davide Vagnati in 2022 was caught on camera. And tactically, his ideal setup would see his players suffocating the space on the pitch.

It didn't quite work as he expected at Roma, but now â- after previously being on Southampton's radar in his Torino days â- he is ready to get back to work with a new challenge in England. Being a relegation fire-fighter once again might suit him, but once again he is stepping into a difficult job.

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