Southampton task former 777 chief with finding new manager
Southampton have tasked a former director of the failed 777 sports group with recruiting their new manager after sacking Ivan Juric following their relegation.
Juric lasted just 98 days and won only one of his 14 Premier League games, a run that saw them break the record for the earliest relegation from the Premier League.
Technical director Johannes Spors is leading the search for a replacement, having joined the club in February following a spell as Global Sporting Director of the 777 Group.
US-based 777, which bid for Everton and owned stakes in Genoa, Standard Liege and Vasco da Gama, collapsed last year amid accusations of fraud.
“With relegation to the Championship now confirmed, we believe it is important to give fans, players and staff some clarity on the future as we head into a very important summer,” Southampton said.
“The process of finding a new manager to lead us as we look to secure an immediate return to the Premier League has now begun and is being led by Group Technical Director Johannes Spors.”
Southampton’s demotion was confirmed by Sunday’s 3-1 defeat at Tottenham and could still outdo the lowest points tally of all time, Derby County’s 11 from the 2007-08 season.
Former Roma coach Juric’s brief tenure at St Mary’s is only four days longer than that of Nathan Jones, who lasted 98 days in 2022-23.
First team coach Simon Rusk has been placed in temporary charge for the remaining seven games of the season and will be assisted by veteran midfielder Adam Lallana.
“Ivan came to Southampton at a tough time and was tasked with trying to improve a squad in a difficult situation,” the club added.
“Unfortunately, we haven’t seen performances progress the way we had hoped, but we would like to thank Ivan and his staff for their honesty and hard work as they fought against the odds to try and keep us up.”