Southampton suffered Premier League relegation in 2005, and the same thing has happened this season, with a miserable campaign culminating in the Saints returning to the Championship. The Hampshire club have been odds-on for relegation for the majority of the season, with Ralph Hasenhuttl and Nathan Jones leaving along the way.

Football betting sites are now pricing up the Next Southampton FC Manager betting market, with a number of interesting names in the frame. Patrick Vieira could be open to the challenge of steering the Saints back into the top flight, while Russell Martin has come the latest favourite.

Ruben Selles is also among the favourites with betting apps, and he will hope to be given an opportunity to rebuild the team, with the Spaniard having been given the role this season due to the club failing to agree terms with Jesse Marsch.

Martin Could Switch From Swans

There appears to be more of a penchant for clubs hiring young managers these days, and it would be interesting to see whether Southampton consider Russell Martin as someone who could step into the fold at St Mary’s. The latest betting odds suggest that the current Swansea City boss could be on the club's radar after impressing at Championship level.

The 37-year-old is currently carving out a managerial career after starting out with MK Dons before getting the chance to replace Steve Cooper at Swansea City. He’s been in his current role for two seasons, and the Brighton-born former Norwich player could have eyes on the situation at St Mary’s.

Martin favours an attacking brand of football, and it would be interesting to see if he’s interviewed for the role, with Southampton the bigger of the two clubs, and they will be among the favourites to land promotion next season with most bookmakers.

Vieira Among Southampton Manager Favourites

Patrick Vieira will have felt harshly treated by Crystal Palace when being given the sack earlier this season. At the time, the Eagles were without a win in 2023, but the team had just experienced a difficult run of fixtures when the owners decided that they needed to act to ensure that the London outfit stayed afloat.

Roy Hodgson's return marked a big upturn in form, although Vieira will still look back on his achievements at Palace with pride. He created a team that were regularly competitive in the Premier League, and it might be that Southampton are interested in hiring a manager who could be open to a Championship post.

Vieira will want to demonstrate that he's a capable manager and will have seen how well Vincent Kompany performed during his first season with Burnley. Perhaps the former Arsenal midfielder will be under strong consideration, and there are sure to be funds available to build a new squad.

Will Saints Settle for Ruben Selles?

Ruben Selles is among the favourites for the Saints job with new betting sites, and the 39-year-old has previously spoken of his desire to become the permanent manager of the club. Much depends on whether the owners feel as though the Spaniard has enough experience to steer the team back to the top-flight.

Selles was fairly unknown in the football world until recently, although he did work as assistant manager at FC Copenhagen between 2020-21 after previously being in charge of the Valencia under-18 team. He has never been the first-team coach anywhere before but has had an opportunity to demonstrate his worth, with the fans not blaming him for the team's relegation considering he was given a losing hand.

The one advantage is that Selles is currently on the payroll at St Mary's and has a good working relationship with many of the players. It wouldn't be a huge surprise if Southampton promoted from within, although there's the possibility that they will instead look for someone with a more decorated CV.

Could Marsch Still End Up Getting Saints Job?

It appeared that Jesse Marsch was close to replacing Ralph Hasenhuttl as manager of Southampton earlier this season before talks broke down. The American remains out of work while surveying the landscape, although perhaps the former Leeds United boss can be lured to St Mary's with the club having been relegated.

It's clear that Marsch would need assurances that there are funds to spend and the Saints will now benefit from Premier League parachute money for the next few seasons, although the betting sites now make him more of an outside chance to land this role.

Steven Gerrard Among Favourites for Saints Role

Steven Gerrard is being linked to a number of vacant and non-vacant managerial roles right now. The former Aston Villa manager didn't cover himself in glory this season and faced a supporter revolt before the Midlands club acted quickly and brought in Unai Emery. However, he will want to demonstrate that he's still capable of being successful.

After all, Gerrard previously succeeded with Rangers and ended the Celtic stranglehold north of the border. Therefore, perhaps Southampton might consider him as a possible candidate to bring the good times back at St Mary's. The scouser is well connected thanks to his involvement in the game and the latest odds suggest he could throw his hat into the ring.

Nuno Espirito Santo Might Consider EPL Return

Wolverhampton Wanderers eventually decided to go down the route of hiring Julen Lopetegui as a replacement for Bruno Lage and that means that Nuno Espirito Santo remains as a coach in Saudi Arabia. The Portuguese previously did an excellent job with Wolves and steered the team from the Championship to the top flight at the first time of asking.

Nuno didn't have a good time of things when hired as manager of Tottenham Hotspur at the beginning of last season and clearly wasn't anywhere near the north London club's first choice, with Antonio Conte swiftly replacing him. However, Southampton are a lower-profile club that might benefit from having him in charge.

Nuno is in charge of Al-Ittihad, but Southampton might reach out to enquire about a manager who engineered a promotion with Wolves at the first time of asking when they were last in the Championship. 

Could Wayne Rooney Be Enticed Back From the US?

Wayne Rooney's last role in England was with Derby County and he departed with his head held high, with the all-time record England scorer passing up the chance to take charge of the Rams in League One. He instead took up a post in MLS, although it could be that Southampton consider an approach for someone who worked a few minor miracles at the Midlands club.

Rooney was always swimming against the tide at Pride Park considering a transfer embargo and a points deduction were just some of the things he had to contend with. He might be intrigued by a Championship vacancy, and he had Derby playing some excellent football in the previous two seasons.

The former Manchester United striker would command the respect of his dressing room due to his playing exploits, with the Liverpudlian having been manager of D.C. United since 2022 and perhaps he will instead choose to remain in America.

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