Southampton confirm appointment of Ivan Juric on 18-month deal to replace Russell Martin – despite him being sacked after just 12 games at Roma

Southampton have appointed Ivan Juric as their new manager on an 18-month contract. 

Juric, who has had a decade-long career managing in Italy, replaces Russell Martin and takes over with Saints rooted to the bottom of the Premier League. 

This is already his second job of the season as he was sacked by Roma after just 12 games in charge in November, having only joined in September. 

However, Roma are on their third manager of the season having also sacked Daniele De Rossi. It is a turbulent period for the club and new boss Claudio Ranieri has only overseen a modest upturn in results. 

Juric’s first assignment will be a trip to Fulham on Sunday, with Southampton already nine points adrift of safety.

The newly promoted side have picked up five points in 16 games, winning only once against Everton, although performances were often encouraging under Martin.  

This is his first job outside Italy and he was sacked by Roma after two months in November

Russell Martin was sacked with Southampton bottom of the Premier League after promotion

‘I think it’s a really big challenge but I’m very optimistic because I saw a team that can do better,’ Juric told Southampton’s club website. 

‘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.

‘I want us to be more aggressive, to do much more pressing and we have to be quick to change mentality because this is my idea of football.’

A self-confessed death metal music fanatic, Juric has worked his way up as a manager. After working under Gian Piero Gasperini at Juventus and Palermo, he took charge of Mantova in Serie C in 2014-15. 

The following season he took Crotone from Serie B to Serie A for the first time in their history but moved to Genoa immediately after that success. 

He had three spells at Genoa in two years and was sacked each time before having longer, stable spells at Hellas Verona and Torino in the Italian top flight.

He left Torino last summer after three seasons and in September took the Roma job, but only won four of his 12 games in charge. 

Juric had previously been in the running to replace Ralph Hassenhuttl in 2022 but the job went to Nathan Jones

The 49-year-old left the side four points above the Serie A relegation zone and 20th in the Europa League table. 

He was in the final two to replace Ralph Hasenhuttl in 2022 but the Saints instead opted for Nathan Jones.

Talks were held with Sheffield Wednesday head coach Danny Rohl but Southampton were unwilling to pay a large compensation to secure his services.

The Championship side were unwilling to let Rohl leave on the cheap following their bright start to the season, with the club ninth in the table and three points off the play-offs.

Juric is Southampton’s fourth manager in two years after Martin was sacked following the 5-0 thrashing by Tottenham.

Under-21s manager Simon Rusk took interim charge of the side in their Carabao Cup loss to Liverpool.