Southampton are unlikely to be able to re-appoint former manager Mauricio Pochettino in the event that Ralph Hasenhüttl is sacked.
That is according to journalist Dean Jones, who was speaking to This is Futbol about the latest news at St Mary’s.
Hasenhüttl is not currently fearing for his job, but a 4-0 defeat at Manchester City last weekend meant that the side are currently just one point and one place above the Premier League drop zone after nine games.
However, there were reports last week suggesting that the Austrian manager was on the verge of the sack, though as it stands, the 55-year-old is still in place.
Meanwhile, it is thought that Pochettino is holding out for a Premier League job, having been relieved of his duties at Paris Saint-Germain this summer.
But Jones believes that Southampton’s standing in the table means that the Argentine manager is unlikely to consider a return to St Mary’s at the moment.
He said: “There’s also probably slightly too much chance that they are in the relegation pack at the moment.
“I feel like the job he takes might be in the positions a bit higher than where Southampton are right now, just so he’s a bit more sure about being able to have a positive impact.
“It’s obviously a nice dream to have Pochettino coming back, but I think that’s all it is.”
TIF Thoughts on Jones’ comments about Mauricio Pochettino…
We agree with Jones and believe that Pochettino will perhaps have higher aspirations than a return to Southampton, having managed both Tottenham Hotspur and PSG in recent seasons.
However, the former Espanyol manager has been linked with a potential move to Aston Villa if the club sack Steven Gerrard, but with the West Midlands side being just two points and one place above the Saints in the Premier League table, there could yet be hope that he would consider a move to the Saints if the job became available.
However, we have to agree with Jones in this instance and believe that it’s very unlikely Pochettino would return to Southampton at this point in time.