Brighton and Hove Albion have held talks with Southampton manager Russell Martin regarding the top job at the Amex Stadium amid uncertainty surrounding Roberto de Zerbi’s future. The discussions between the two parties took place over the March international break, but nothing has been finalised at this point.
Roberto de Zerbi has done a fantastic job at Brighton since replacing Graham Potter, helping the club qualify for the Europa League for the first time in their history this season. However, the Italian tactician’s fine work with the Seagulls has not gone unnoticed, with top clubs such as Liverpool, Manchester United, Bayern Munich and Barcelona keen on his services.
In that case, Brighton have started working behind the scenes to ensure a proper and swift appointment is made before the summer transfer window commences. The Sussex-based outfit have reportedly added Russell Martin to their managerial wishlist to replace De Zerbi, who is almost certain to leave the club at the end of the season.
Russell Martin has done a fine work at Southampton
Russell Martin, 38, is a Brighton native and played for the club’s youth academy. As a player, he enjoyed his career’s best years at Norwich City, managing over 300 appearances across the League One, the Championship and the Premier League. After earning some valuable coaching experiences with MK Dons and Swansea City, the 38-year-old took charge of the relegated Southampton last summer.
The Saints have enjoyed a fine season back in the Championship and currently lie fourth in the table under Martin’s tutelage, although they have gone three games without a win of late. Despite seeing over £150m worth of talent exit in the summer whilst only spending big fees on a couple of new players, Martin has done an incredible job at St Mary’s Stadium in his first season thus far. With seven games to go, Southampton will need to rediscover their lost form to have any chance of cutting the gap to Leeds United and Ipswich Town.
As far as Martin is concerned, he could be tempted to take the managerial reins at Brighton. Being born in Brighton, not only is the job location perfect for the 38-year-old tactician but also the opportunity for him to manage some exciting and hungry talents who have demonstrated their potential at the highest level.
I am Rohan Sengupta from one of the busiest cities in India, Mumbai. A Journalism graduate with a keen interest in sports, football is something I simply cannot live without and writing, discussing and analyzing the game is what I do 24*7.
