Confirmed: Southampton sack Hughes after reported talks with ex-Fiorentina boss

Southampton have parted company with manager Mark Hughes, the club have confirmed.

Hughes was appointed as Saints boss in March, replacing Mauricio Pellegrino, to try and help the club stay in the Premier League.

Mark Hughes leaves Southampton: five key things to know…

  1. Hughes left Stoke City to replace Mauricio Pellegrino in March looking to keep Saints in the Premier League.
  2. Although their form didn’t significantly pick up, Saints did stay up, finishing three points clear of Swansea.
  3. Hughes was relieved of his duties on Monday, December 3.
  4. The Welshman left the club with a 19.2% win rate, the worst of his career to date.
  5. Paulo Sousa and Quique Sanchez Flores are the two most likely names to take over at St Mary’s.

And although Southampton did stay up, they have endured a terrible start to the new season, winning just one game so far.

Hughes leaves the club with just a 19.2% win-rate, the worst of his managerial career and the worst of any Southampton manager to oversee more than 10 games since Steve Wigley in 2004.

In a statement on their official website, the club also confirmed that Assistant First Team Manager Mark Bowen and Assistant First Team Coach Eddie Niedzwiecki have also departed with Hughes, with Kelvin Davies taking temporary charge.

The full statement read: “Southampton Football Club can today confirm it has parted company with First Team Manager Mark Hughes.

“Assistant First Team Manager Mark Bowen and Assistant First Team Coach Eddie Niedzwiecki have also left the club.

“We would like to express our thanks to Mark and his staff for all of their efforts during their time at St Mary’s.

“The search for a new manager to take the club forward is already under way.

First Team Assistant Coach Kelvin Davis will lead the team for Wednesday’s Premier League game against Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley.”

Who is in-line for the St Mary’s hot seat? 

Mark Hughes has barely had time to clear his desk at Southampton but already rumours are surfacing regarding his replacement.

Reports suggest former Fiorentina manager Paulo Sousa has already been lined up to take over at St Mary’s, with 48-year-old having previously managed QPR, Swansea City and Leicester City in England.

(Photo by Matt Roberts/Getty Images)

Sousa has been without a club since leaving Chinese Super League side Tianjin Quanjian in October.

Another option may be Quique Sanchez Flores, who has been looking for a new club since ending his 22-month tenure at Espanyol in April.

ITV’s Sam Matterface suggested Flores could be first in line for the job, writing on his Twitter page: “Former Watford boss Quique Sanchez Flores is likely to be Mark Hughes replacement at Southampton.”

Southampton play Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley in their next game.

The post Mark Hughes sacked by Southampton amid Sousa and Flores links appeared first on Squawka News.



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