Southampton ‘could SACK Ralph Hasenhuttl or fire his backroom team instead’

Southampton’s owners are reportedly weighing up two options following their 15th-placed finish in the Premier League.

Manager Ralph Hasenhuttl found himself under intense scrutiny amid dismal form in the business end of the season. The Saints picked up just one point from their final six matches.

Hasenhuttl could be given his marching orders as a result or he could remain and his backroom team are dismissed instead, according to The Sun.  

The report claims that Southampton’s majority owners –  Sport Republic – are looking into making changes following a disappointing end to the campaign.

The club’s form was woeful since March – although they did beat Arsenal 1-0 on April 16 – and were in danger of being sucked into the relegation battle after conceding an alarming 24 goals in 10 matches.

Chants of ‘sacked in the morning’ aimed at Saints boss Hasenhuttl rang round the stadium from their own fans in the 3-0 defeat by Brentford on May 7.

Hasenhuttl replaced sacked Mark Hughes in the St Mary’s hotseat in December 2018, bringing a fresh, high-energy style of play. 

In his first full season in charge he guided them to an 11th-placed finish as he made his mark on the top flight but their progress has stalled somewhat with consecutive 15th-placed finishes in the last two seasons.

Hasenhuttl took charge of Leipzig between 2016 and 2018, leading the club into the Champions League for the first time. He has also previously managed Ingolstadt, Aalen and Unterhaching.

Sport Republic, led by Serbian billionaire Dragan Solak and former Brentford chief Rasmus Ankersen, completed their takeover of the club in January after Solak bought a £200million share.