da betsul： According to reports in The Telegraph, Claude Puel’s future as Southampton manager has been put into doubt with the club set to review their options at the end of the season
da bet7： The Frenchman was given a three-year contract last summer after replacing Ronald Koeman at St Mary’s, but it isn’t certain that he will be in charge next term with some fans unhappy at results and key players such as Virgil van Dijk and Ryan Bertrand said to be considering moves away.
Despite currently sitting ninth in the Premier League table, Puel needs a strong finish to the campaign in order to boost his chances of staying on the south coast – especially after picking up just one point from his previous three top flight matches with Saturday’s goalless draw at home to Hull City being one of many disappointing performances throughout the campaign.
Saints are constantly updating a list of managerial targets should they be forced to make a change, and there are plenty of options that they could be considering right now.
Here are five potential Claude Puel replacements for Southampton…
Marco Silva
The Portuguese manager was said to be on Southampton’s list of options to replace Ronald Koeman last summer before they opted to appoint Puel instead.
However, having seen the impact that Silva has had since taking the reins at Hull City in January, they may be regretting that decision.
The Tigers were bottom of the table and three points from safety when the 39-year-old took charge, but they have they picked up 21 points from 15 Premier League matches since to lie two points above Swansea City in the final relegation spot.
He is out of contract at the end of the campaign however, and will certainly be in demand if he keeps the east Yorkshire outfit up.
Slavisa Jokanovic
Southampton drew another blank at home to Hull City on Saturday which means that has well scoring just 39 Premier League goals all season, only 17 of those have come at St Mary’s.
If the south coast outfit want a little more excitement then they could do a lot worse than taking a closer look at Fulham manager Slavisa Jokanovic if they choose to get rid of Puel.
The Cottagers are the top goalscorers in the Championship this term having netted 83 goals in their 45 league games, but any move could depend on the west London outfit’s fate as they will be contesting the end of season lottery of the play-offs after securing a sixth-place finish.
Pal Dardai
Southampton certainly went for a left-field option when they appointed Mauricio Pochettino – who had been sacked by Espanyol just a few months earlier – to replace Nigel Adkins in 2015, and if they choose to do the same if Puel goes then Dardai could be one of their top targets.
The Hungarian boss helped Hertha Berlin narrowly avoid relegation from the Bundesliga in the 2014/15 campaign having been named as interim manager, before signing a permanent deal with the club that summer.
After leading the side from the German capital to an impressive seventh-place finish last term, the 41-year-old could improve on that this season with Hertha currently in fifth position with three league fixtures remaining.
Roger Schmidt
Despite being sacked by Bayer Leverkusen in March following a Champions League last-16 first leg defeat at the hands of Atletico Madrid and a 6-2 defeat to Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga, Schmidt could still be high on Southampton’s list if they choose to replace Puel.
They were five points from sixth place and qualification for European football next term when he left, but things haven’t improved and now they are nine points adrift with just three league fixtures remaining – perhaps suggesting the problems weren’t all down to the 50-year-old.
While his brand of football is exciting and reliant on a high press – shown by the fact they won eight of their last nine league games at the end of last season – Schmidt often left his team open to be punished on the counter attack and that is something that would have to change if he came to St Mary’s.
Unai Emery
Southampton were one of the sides said to have been interested in making an ambitious move to bring Emery to England last summer but the former Sevilla manager instead decided to link up with Paris Saint-Germain.
However, the Spaniard’s job in the French capital is already under threat following their incredible collapse against Barcelona in the Champions League, and the fact that they could miss out on the Ligue 1 title as they currently lie three points behind leaders Monaco following a 3-1 defeat to third-place Nice on Monday.
The 45-year-old enjoyed incredible success in Spain and if he was to get the boot from PSG at the end of the season, he would certainly interest lots of clubs – including Saints – and he may just fancy a crack at the Premier League.
Do you agree, Saints fans? Let us know below.