Southampton appoint Ralph Hasenhüttl as first team manager

Southampton have announced they have appointed Ralph Hasenhüttl as the club’s new first team manager,

Hasenhüttl has reportedly signed a two-and-a-half year deal with Saints and will oversee things at the club from tomorrow.

Saints play Tottenham Hotspur tonight and will be coached by Kelvin Davis on an interim basis. Read our preview here.

Former RB Leipzig coach Hasenhüttl, 51, will be supported by existing coaching staff Davis, Dave Watson and Alek Gross. It’s expected he will bring in some of his own coaching staff in the near future.

It’s an exciting appointment for Southampton fans.

In his first season at newly promoted RB Leipzig, Hasenhüttl led the team to a runners-up position in the Bundesliga, playing attractive, attacking football in the process.

Last season, Hasenhüttl oversaw Leipzig’s run to the Europa League quarter-finals, before leaving the club in the summer when he couldn’t agree terms for a contract extension at the club.

Saints Chairman Ralph Krueger said the following of his latest managerial appointment:

“The urgency to find a path back to our potential and to the results that we expect cannot be underestimated. For that reason, we are extremely pleased that Ralph Hasenhüttl has agreed to become our new manager and do all he can to help guide us back on that path.

“This manager change offers us a fresh start and, very quickly, Ralph emerged as our ideal candidate. As a coach, he embodies the passion, structure, communication skill set, work ethic and appetite for growth that we strive for in our Southampton Way. The quick, smooth and seamless negotiation process underlines the character of the person that he is.

“We have been aware of Ralph since his days at FC Ingolstadt, where he showed the qualities that we believe we need at the club. He has since gone on to develop those attributes with a track-record of success in the Bundesliga and with a progressive and ambitious club in RB Leipzig.

“As soon as we met, Ralph’s enthusiasm for football was contagious and his hunger to take on a new and challenging job in the Premier League was evident. In our discussions, he very quickly aligned himself with the values and the vision of the club.

“Southampton Football Club’s past success was built on a clear identity. The foundation of this identity was a focus on developing players, whether from within our academy or after joining from other clubs. Ralph’s ability to teach the game and to develop talent is evident in his past and is a centrepiece of why he is the perfect choice to be the new Saints manager.”