TalkSport journalist Sam Matterface has given his views on Ralph Hasenhuttl and his situation at Southampton.
The Austrian has certainly enjoyed something of a rollercoaster when it comes to his tenure on the south coast. Having made some decent progress in his first full season back in 2019/20 and even going so far as reaching the top of the table during the 2020/21 campaign, a couple of historically bad results such as the 9-0 losses to Leicester City and Manchester United, combined with other poor runs of form, has occasionally made it look as if his job could be in jeopardy.
The Saints currently sit five points off the relegation zone in the Premier League, so it is possible that those murmurings could come around again, especially considering how many managers have already been sacked this season in the league.
But speaking on the TalkSport GameDay podcast, Matterface claimed that getting rid of Hasenhuttl might not be as straightforward as it would appear, based on the finances surrounding a potential dismissal.
“They can’t pay him off, can they, Ralph Hasenhuttl? That’s one of the big problems, because he’s on quite a lot of money, from what I understand.”
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If that is the case, then Southampton need to be very careful with how they play this if things do get worse for them and relegation becomes a possibility. Because whilst it’s understandable that they might want to change managers, finances shouldn’t really be seen as a problem for a club that haven’t really been big spenders in the past.
And when you consider the money that is at stake just for staying in the Premier League, with 17th-placed Burnley taking home a reported £101.7m last season, what they would lose in paying off Hasenhuttl they would more than get back when it comes to Premier League prize money.
It may not even come to that point if Southampton can pick up some wins and move up the table, but if it does, they shouldn’t let the finances of a potential deal with Hasenhuttl put them off considering the much bigger prize fund that would await them when it comes to Premier League safety.
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