Southampton have appointed Ivan Juric as their new manager on an 18-month deal.
The 49-year-old replaces Russell Martin, who was sacked following their 5-0 thrashing by Tottenham last weekend with the Saints bottom of the Premier League.
Juric was sacked by Roma in November after just 12 matches in charge but impressed in charge of Hellas Verona and Torino before his inauspicious spell in the Italian capital.
“I’m very pleased. I think it’s a really big challenge but I’m very optimistic because I saw a team that can do better,” Juric said.
“It’s important to immediately be connected with the fans. I want an aggressive team and I think that fans of Southampton will like that.”
The Southampton job is Juric’s first role managerial role outside Italy and the Croat has signed an 18-month deal but the contract is said to include a summer break clause.
It’s claimed Juric was one of two options in the running to replace Ralph Hasenhuttl in November 2022 when Nathan Jones was appointed.
The club was apparently eager to appoint a manager ‘who can bring solidity and discipline to the squad’ on the back of the heavy Spurs defeat, but it’s thought uric is unlikely to take charge of Sunday’s game against Fulham, with his first time in the dugout likely to be the Boxing Day clash at home against West Ham.
