Premier League: Former AS Roma manager Ivan Juric appointed as new Southampton boss

Premier League: Former AS Roma manager Ivan Juric appointed as new Southampton boss

New Delhi: Southampton have announced Ivan Juric as their new manager just a week after Russell Martin’s dismissal from the squad. Juric joins his second side of the season, having previously been in charge of AS Roma for a brief period. This move completes the managerial go-round that began last week with both Wolves and Southampton having now announced their new managers, following the sackings of both Russell Martin and Gary O’Neil. He joins the club on an 18-month contract and will take charge of this Sunday’s game against Fulham.

He had been linked with the job before in December 2022 when Ralph Hasenhuttl had left the side only for Nathan Jones to take the job at the time.  After matchday 16, Southampton had announced Martin’s departure following a 5-0 loss against Tottenham Hotspur. Juric has a big task on his hand as the Saints are currently placed 20th in the Premier League table having taken only five points so far in the season.

Welcome to Southampton, Ivan Jurić 😇

— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) December 21, 2024

He becomes the fourth permanent manager of the club in the last two years, making this appointment a crucial one for both the club and the manager. Known for his high-intensity style and tactical nous, Juric becomes the third Croatian to manage in the Premier League, following in the footsteps of former West Ham boss Slaven Bilic and former Portsmouth manager Velimir Zajec. With a career that has seen its fair share of ups and downs, Juric brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record of navigating difficult situations.

Crucial appointment for both Southampton and Ivan Juric

Southampton fans have every reason to be excited about Ivan Juric.

Loves heavy metal music, ruthless with his brand of football, man for man pressing, makes teams defensively resolute using workhorse like players, overperforms on resources.

Hellas Verona and Torino know.

— Get Italian Football News (@_GIFN) December 20, 2024

In the Premier League era, Southampton are historically known for being a club that is the land of opportunity for youngsters. They have developed many a great player and managers with the likes of Ronald Koeman and Mauricio Pochettino making a name for themselves as managers at the club. However, in recent years, the club have lost that charm and had since been relegated as well, before making a comeback this season. They tried doing the same with Russell Martin but unfortunately that didn’t work out in the top flight for either of the parties.

In line with their brand, the club was initially linked with young managers like Danny Rohl and Carlos Corberan but instead opted to go for the experience of Ivan Juric. Juric’s coaching career has primarily been in Italy, where he first made his mark as the head coach of Crotone, guiding them to a historic promotion to Serie A in 2016. This remarkable achievement cemented his reputation as a capable manager, and he soon took on a rollercoaster stint with Genoa, where he was hired, fired, and rehired multiple times within a two-year span.

More recently, he did good work with smaller teams in Italy, guiding both Hellas Verona and Torino to respectable finishes that got him the AS Roma job earlier in the season, where he replaced club legend Daniele De Rossi. However, that stint did not work out the way it was intended with fans turning on the manager and he was ousted from the job after just 12 matches. Juric now has to work on building his reputation as a capable manager once again while Southampton make a desperate attempt to keep themselves afloat in the Premier League.

 Premier League’s bottom placed club Southampton have announced the arrival of new manager Ivan Juric on a 18-month contract following last week’s sacking of Russell Martin.  Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today