Next Southampton manager: Ex-Leeds United coach and Marcelo Bielsa disciple among favourites after recent report

Former Leeds United coach Carlos Corberan is among the favourites to take charge of Southampton, with reports claiming the West Brom boss is under consideration to succeed Russell Martin.

Southampton confirmed their decision to sack Martin less than 90 minutes after Sunday’s 5-0 drubbing at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur, a game in which all five goals were scored in the first-half. Having beaten Leeds in May’s Championship play-off final, the south coast club have lost 13 of their opening 16 top-flight games, a run which leaves them rooted to the bottom of the table.

Club chiefs are now working their way through a list of candidates to lead an unlikely survival charge and Sky Sports report that Corberan is among those being considered. The current West Brom boss - who spent three years at Leeds, two of which saw him work under Marcelo Bielsa - and former Denmark boss Kasper Hjulmand are thought to be two possible successors at St. Mary’s.

Sheffield Wednesday’s Danny Rohl emerged as an early favourite, given his impressive 14 month spell at Hillsborough and previous stint working under Ralph Hasenhuttl at Southampton, but there hasn’t yet been any contact with the 35-year-old. The Premier League strugglers are still in the early stages of recruitment but are thought to be keen on Corberan.

Since leaving Leeds in the summer of 2020, Corberan has forged an impressive career as the main man at Championship level. The Spaniard guided Huddersfield Town to a third-place finish and the play-off final in 2022, a game they lost to Nottingham Forest.

Subscribe to Inside Elland Road, with Graham Smyth for unique, behind-the-scenes Leeds United coverage, expert analysis and exclusive interviews

After a brief stint in Greece with Olympiacos, Corberan then moved on to West Brom and has consistently over-achieved under the constraints of a relatively small budget compared to more recently relegated rivals. The Baggies finished fifth last season and despite losing a host of first-team regulars over the summer - the likes of Brandon Thomas-Asante, Okay Yokuslu and Cedric Kipre - they are just two points off the play-off places.

Corberan has long been tipped to take a Premier League job but Sky Sports add a move for the 41-year-old could prove difficult, given his West Brom contract is thought to contain a release clause worth more than £2million. That contract was signed in February of last year and put an end to reports tipping him to succeed Jesse Marsch at Leeds.

That clause could be a factor in why he is currently third favourite to take charge at St. Mary’s, rather than the outright frontrunner. Wednesday boss Rohl remains the most fancied to succeed Martin on the south coast, with Hjulmand between him and Corberan. Marsch was among the leading pack after seeing his odds ‘slashed’ earlier this week, but the American has since fallen away from serious contention.

Southampton would like to have a permanent head coach in the away dugout when they travel to Fulham on Sunday, with Simon Rusk in interim charge for Wednesday’s Carabao Cup quarter-final clash against Liverpool. But club chiefs will take their time to find the right option, if that is deemed necessary.