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Southampton hope to appoint former Stoke City boss Mark Hughes as their new manager later today (Wednesday) according to reports from the Daily Telegraph.
As per the Telegraph article, Hughes has been offered a contract with Saints until the end of the season before further decisions are made.
If hired, Hughes will become the fifth Southampton manager in five years since Mauricio Pochettino, now Tottenham Hotspur manager, replaced Nigel Adkins in Saints’ first season back up in the Premier League.
Welshman Hughes, who wore Southampton’s red and white on the pitch for two years from 1998 as his playing career wound down, will bring assistants Mark Bowen and Eddie Niedzwiecki with him. The trio worked together in Hughes’ five previous Premier League managerial roles.
Hughes previously managed the aforementioned Stoke, QPR, Fulham, Manchester City, and Blackburn with mixed results in England’s top flight. The former Wales international also managed his country from 1999 until 2004 - coming close to taking the Welsh to Euro 2004 but for a narrow playoff defeat to Russia.
He was sacked by Stoke in early January following a string of poor results which saw the Potters near the relegation zone along with Saints. However, Hughes had overseen three consecutive ninth-place league finishes for Stoke - their highest league position since 1975 -during his four-and-a-half seasons at the club.
It appears Hughes will now have the chance to take the reins at Southampton. If successful, he could become a permanent fixture at the club.
Next up for Saints is a trip to Wigan Athletic for an FA Cup quarter final clash, before a significant away game at fellow relegation strugglers West Ham United once league play is resumed after the looming international break.