Jesse Marsch will not become the new manager of Premier League club Southampton, according to a report from The Telegraph’s Jeremy Wilson.
The report says that the club was not willing to meet Marsch’s hopes of a long-term contract given its status in the bottom three. Caretaker boss Ruben Selles remains in the job and could continue for some time.
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Marsch was fired just a week ago by Leeds United after a run of two wins from 17 Premier League games which has them hovering just above the relegation zone. The American coach had been in charge at Leeds for just under a year and saved them from relegation on the final day of last season.
The Guardian, The Athletic, Sky Sports, Fabrizio Romano and the BBC all reported that Jesse Marsch agreed to become Saints’ new boss after positive talks were held on Monday.
Sky Sports initially reported that Marsch was okay with signing a short-term contract to try and save Southampton from relegation this season and that the club was happy with that, too. It was believed he could be in charge this weekend for their trip to Chelsea on Saturday (watch live, 10am ET on Peacock Premium).
Is this the right job at the right time for Marsch?
Just a week after being fired by Leeds, this is a great chance for Marsch to stay in the Premier League. But can he keep Southampton up?
Despite all of their struggles they are just four points from safety. With 16 games to go, this is not an impossible task but it is a very tough one and they have such a young, inexperienced squad.
But this isn’t just a knee-jerk reaction from Southampton. They have tracked Marsch, and wanted him, for a very long time.
Stylistically the entire club was set up to play a high-pressing 4-2-2-2 formation for many years under Ralph Hasenhuttl. When they hired Nathan Jones in November they went away from that philosophy but it appears Saints want to make it easier on their playing squad and want a quick return to the Hasenhuttl era tactics.
Marsch is the perfect man to implement it given his many years in the Red Bull organization and close understanding of pressing and that should help him hit the ground running. Yes, Southampton have issues defensively just like Leeds did but we should see Saints improve drastically in attack and they will be a lot of fun to watch in the final months of the season.
How long could Marsch stick around?
Many believed Marsch was sacked too early by Leeds and perhaps it was the wrong club for him. This is a good chance for him to prove that, even if it’s a short-term job which leads to him restoring his reputation and then moving on to the USMNT job or another gig in Europe.
Even if Marsch doesn’t keep Southampton up, there is the potential for him to build something special long-term at St Mary’s and this seems to be a club much better suited to his playing style, philosophy and ideas than Leeds was. First things first, his positive vibes will help get the fans onside after a terrible few months under Jones.
Marsch is very good at creating togetherness and an identity across all areas of the club. And he has always delivered when asked to help a club punch above its weight.
Let’s see if the Saints can Marsch to safety. If he able to do that this season, there is a real chance he could have found the right club at the right time in his career.