Southampton are reportedly closing in on naming a new manager with Mauricio Pellegrino leading the race ahead of fellow major contender Frank de Boer.
According to local newspaper, The Daily Echo, the Saints have been carrying out interviews during the course of the week and it's former Alaves boss Pellegrino who has caught their eye.
The problem is that the Argentine, along with De Boer, have also been hotly linked with a move to the club's Premier League rivals Crystal Palace who are also on the hunt for a new boss following the departure of Sam Allardyce last month.
On Wednesday Dennis Bergkamp entered into the betting to replace Claude Puel at Saints, although the Dutchman is now priced out at 20/1.
But one manager that has today (Thursday) made a move is former Schalke boss Markus Weinzierl who has been cut from 25/1 to 14/1 (Sky Bet), although at the time of writing he can still be backed at 20/1 with Paddy Power.
The German coach is looking for a swift return to the dugout after losing his job at Schalke earlier this month after a single season at the helm.
The 42-year-old was fired by the Bundesliga club after they failed to qualify for a European competition for the first time since 2009.
However, in his previous tenure with Augsburg Weinzierl developed into one of the most highly-rated young coaches in Germany after leading the club up to 5th spot, then into Europe for the first time in their history, something he achieved on a miniscule budget.
Weinzierl's appearance certainly makes for intriguing reading, although it's work mentioning that his Augsburg side wasn't exactly the most offensive team around, but they were a solid, defensive unit, who were extremely difficult to breakdown, while they favoured an aggressive pressing approach.
No comments:
Post a Comment