It could not have gone much worse for Southampton since beating Leeds United in the Championship play-off final back in May.
Russell Martin made it three wins from three over his former manager at Norwich City Daniel Farke last season with a 1-0 victory at Wembley which sent them to the Premier League.
While Farke was unable to get the better of Martin tactically, those in the top-flight haven’t had such issues. Southampton are already staring down the barrel of relegation, with the season not even at its halfway point.
Southampton’s return of just five points from 16 matches means they even have work to do to beat Derby County’s record tally of just 11 back in 2007/08.
The final straw for Martin was their embarrassing 5-0 home defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, which saw them go 4-0 down inside just 25 minutes.
Southampton eyeing former Leeds man Carlos Corberan
Leeds fans have found some joy in Martin‘s dismissal following the events of last season, but it will be interesting to see who they appoint.
Anyone who comes in is likely to have to prepare for being back in the Championship next term, which could limit them in terms of targeting top names.
However, according to Sky Sports, Southampton are considering a move for one of the most highly regarded managers in the second tier, Carlos Corberan.
Saints beat Corberan’s West Bromwich Albion in the play-off semi-finals back in May but his ability to even get the Baggies there on a very small budget was an achievement.
Corberan also achieved similar with Huddersfield Town back in 2020/21, and was Marcelo Bielsa’s assistant at Leeds during the promotion winning campaign.
Bielsa hailed Corberan as a ‘very talented‘ manager and his style of play would certainly take them away from the kamikaze brand Martin operated with, that seemed to cost them a goal week after week.
Corberan record since leaving Leeds
Many would’ve liked Corberan to stay on Leeds’ coaching staff after promotion but he clearly felt it was the right time to go and be number one somewhere.
And in fairness to him, his record certainly supports that argument, as he has gone onto have some decent success almost everywhere he’s been.
| Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses | Points per game | Goals | Goals against | |
| Huddersfield Town | 102 | 39 | 27 | 36 | 1.41 | 127 | 131 |
| Olympiacos | 11 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1.45 | 20 | 18 |
| West Brom | 106 | 46 | 29 | 31 | 1.58 | 147 | 110 |
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