Six reasons why Russell Martin not will lose his job if Southampton doesn’t get promoted

According to the Daily Mail, Martin will “likely pay with his job” should his side fall short of a return to the Premier League at the first attempt.

This seem completely contrary to anything that has come out of the club this season, with most supporters feeling ahead of the season that a play-off finish is about right for Southampton.

All three clubs cannot be promoted automatically. When you then throw the incredible season of Ipswich Town into the mix, it is difficult to argue that another manager would have done much better in charge of the Saints this season.

With that in mind, here are three reasons that Southampton will not sack Martin if they fail to win the play-offs.

They started the season with Ralph Hasenhuttl in charge, the Austrian manager who had overseen the club for almost four years with limited budget prior to being sacked in October 2023.

Then came Nathan Jones, who won just one Premier League game before being sacked in February and replaced by Ruben Selles, who had acted as a coach under both Hasenhuttl and Jones.

With Selles leaving with relegation confirmed, Southampton sought about preparing for the future and ownership group Sport Republic appointed Jason Wilcox – who has since departed for Manchester United – as their sporting director.

Wilcox was the man that identified Martin and appointed the Swansea City manager with the view to the 38-year-old being at the club long-term.

Martin is inexperienced – having only managed for less than five years – but he is ambitious and sticks vehemently to his possession-based principles.

For Southampton to completely overhaul their playing style in the summer after years of counter-attacking football and then throw that all away after just one season of transition would be incredibly short-sighted