Southampton appointed Hughes manager last March in a desperate attempt to save their season. Just two months prior, Hughes had been sacked by Stoke City amidst their own relegation problems.
It was a bold move by Southampton to hire a manager that had already been sacked for underperforming. Somehow, Hughes kept the Saints up while former club Stoke went down. Hughes received between £1 million and £2 million for keeping Southampton up, but right now, it looks like money poorly spent.
Hughes is the sportsbooks’ favourite to get the sack next. He has gained just eight points from 36 despite adding players in the summer that should at least improve the side enough to get away from the relegation zone. The Saints have scored just eight goals, the second fewest in the Premier League, with half of the strikes coming from on loan forward Danny Ings.
Reports indicate Southampton’s board with “consider” Hughes position at the club following their six-point game against Fulham at the weekend. Fulham are just three points back of Southampton, who are outside the relegation zone thanks to goal difference.
Unfortunately for Southampton supporters, the names being kicked around to take over for Hughes don’t seem very promising. Former Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce, who was sacked in October by the Championship club, is the bookies’ frontrunner for the job. David Moyes is also being considered as a top choice.
One name being floated around that will surprise many is that of former AS Monaco manager Leonardo Jardim. After over four years at Monaco, Jardim was replaced by Thierry Henry in October.
The former Monaco boss had built a reputation as a top coach at the club. He put together a 54 percent win rate and took Monaco to an unlikely 2016-17 Ligue 1 title. The Portuguese manager saw Monaco repeatedly sell his best players. Kylian Mbappe, Thomas Lemar, Benjamin Mendy, and Fabinho were just four players sold off by the club. Instead of building a dynasty, Monaco cashed-in on their stars. It led to a poor start this term and Jardim’s firing.
He is the only man on the bookies’ favourites list that is outside the box. It is more likely Southampton would go with a safe pair of hands – dull – than an interesting choice. Moyes guided West Ham to safety last term before getting his walking papers. Bruce, on the other hand, has a reputation for leaving jobs early over disputes with management. He may not be the safest hands to turn the squad over to in a fight for relegation.
Hughes’ days look numbered and a poor result against Fulham at the weekend, may see the axe come down.