Ivan Juric: Southampton appoint former Roma boss to replace Russell Martin as manager

Southampton have appointed Ivan Juric as their new manager.

Russell Martin was sacked by Southampton following their 5-0 defeat at home to Tottenham last weekend, leaving the club bottom of the Premier League having guided them to promotion from the Championship last season.

Juric was dismissed by Roma last month after less than two months at the Serie A club. His 18-month deal on the south coast includes a break option which will be reviewed this summer. Should Southampton avoid relegation this season, Juric's contract can be extended by a further two years.

Southampton have been long-time admirers of the Croatian, with the 49-year-old having previously been on Saints' list to replace Ralph Hasenhuttl when the Austrian was sacked two years ago.

Saints also sounded out West Brom boss Carlos Corberan and former Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand, while Sheffield Wednesday's Danny Rohl had also been linked with the job.

Interim boss Simon Rusk will remain in charge for Southampton's trip to Fulham on Sunday, live on Sky Sports.

Speaking after signing his contract, Juric told the club website: "I'm very pleased. I think it's a really big challenge but I'm very optimistic because I saw a team that can do better.

"It's important to immediately be connected with the fans. I want an aggressive team and I think that fans of Southampton will like that."

The Croatian manager started his coaching career working under Gian Piero Gasperini - who is currently the revolutionary head coach at Atalanta.

Juric worked in Gasperini's coaching staff at Inter Milan and Palermo, before taking his first job at Serie C side Mantova in the 2014-15 campaign.

The following season, he took a Serie B job at Crotone and got them promoted to Serie A for the first time in the club's history that term. He did not take them into the Italian top-flight though, as he was offered to replace Gasperini at Genoa, which he accepted.

Juric then had three separate spells at Genoa in the space of two years - being sacked by the club three times between February 2017 and December 2018.

He finally found stability at Hellas Verona in 2019, who had just been promoted to Serie A. With one of the smallest budgets in the league, he kept them in the top flight for two straight seasons - before taking the Torino job.

The Croatian left Torino at the end of last season after three seasons in Serie A and took on the Roma job in September of this year after The Friedkin Group sacked fan favourite Daniele de Rossi. Juric, however, did not even last two months as he was sacked with the Giallorossi four points above the relegation zone.

Sunday December 22: Fulham vs Southampton - Premier League, kick-off 2pm, live on Sky Sports

Thursday December 26: Southampton vs West Ham - Premier League, kick-off 3pm

Sunday December 29: Crystal Palace vs Southampton - Premier League, kick-off 3pm

Saturday January 4: Southampton vs Brentford - Premier League, kick-off 3pm

Sunday January 12: Southampton vs Swansea - FA Cup third round, kick-off 4.30pm

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