When Southampton FC announced the sacking of manager Mark Hughes on Monday they said their search for his replacement was already underway. On Wednesday, the St. Mary’s announced their new manager, Ralph Hasenhüttl, which shows you that indeed the wheels were very much in motion two days ago.
The south coast club moved very quickly to find their Hughes replacement, signing the man known as “the Alpine Klopp” to a two-and-a-half year deal. Hasenhüttl will take over on Thursday.
Tonight, in the match at Tottenham Hotspur, Assistant Kelvin Davis will serve as the interim manager.
Davis will join the new coaching staff, joined by head of goalkeeping Dave Watson and head of sports science Alek Gross.
Ralph Hasenhüttl most recently led RB Leipzig in the German Bundesliga, guiding the club to a 2nd place finish in the league two seasons ago and the UEFA Europa League quarterfinals last term.
“The urgency to find a path back to our potential and to the results that we expect cannot be underestimated,” a statement attributed to club Chairman Ralph Krueger reads.
“For that reason, we are extremely pleased that Ralph Hasenhüttl 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 FC 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 RB Leipzig.”
Southampton FC vs Tottenham Hotspur FYIs
Kick-off: 8pm (BST), Wednesday December 5th, Wembley Stadium, London
Injury, Unavailability Report: go to this link
Google Win Probability: Tottenham Hotspur 70%, Draw 19%, Southampton 11%
Odds via Paddy Power: Tottenham 4/11, Draw 7/2, Southampton 15/2
Prediction: Tottenham Hotspur 3, Saints 1
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, regularly appears as a guest pundit on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
He also contributes sociopolitical essays to Lineups.com and Chicago Now. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram. The content of his cat’s Instagram account is unquestionably superior to his.