Southampton manager odds: Who leads for St. Mary's job?

We start the second full day of Southampton's search for a new manager after Will Still was given the boot after just five months in charge of the struggling Championship side.

Relegated from the Premier League last season, the Saints brought in Still with a remit to take the club straight back to the big time. Instead, the 33-year-old oversaw just two wins from 13 Championship matches (six draws and five defeats) this season. 

The final straw was Saturday's 2-0 defeat by Preston North End on Saturday, a result which dropped them to 21st in the table. Men's under-21 head coach Tonda Eckert will take over from Still on an interim basis until the club have identified his permanent successor.

The latest next Southampton manager odds throw up the intriguing possibility that a former manager of the club will return less than 12 months after leaving St. Mary's. In fact, similarly to the situation at Wolves, there's a few familiar faces high up in the betting.

Southampton Manager Odds

Southampton's next manager?

Russell Martin remains the bookmakers' favourite (2/1 Sky Bet) to replace Will Still as Southampton manager, less than 12 months after leaving the club bottom of the Premier League with just win from the first 16 matches of the 2024/25 season.

However, he has drifted from 6/4 at the start of the yesterday into 2/1.

His position as the clear favourite is a little puzzling given his Saints sacking and subsequent Rangers nightmare. He lasted just 17 matches at Ibrox, losing six of those matches across all competitions. 

His Gers side were thumped in their bid to enter the Champions League proper, lost both of their matches in the Europa League and scored just six goals for eight points from seven league matches.

Michael Carrick remains his closest rival in the betting at 11/2, while Eckert is naturally in the race given his interim opportunity and Brendan Rodgers is back in the mix having originally been touted for the top job at Molineux.

Southampton sacked Will Still?

Will Still managed just two wins from 13 Championship matches with Southampton (one of those on the opening day), leaving the Saints just one place and three points above the drop zone. 

Only four teams have conceded more than their 19, while they have scored just four goals in six matches at home. His sacking comes after a run of five games without a win, consisting of two draws and three defeats, culminating in a chorus of boos after the Preston loss.

Rival candidates for Still's Southampton role

Outside of Russell Martin, there are five others priced at 10/1 or shorter to replace Will Still, including a couple still in the running to replace Vitor Pereira at Wolves. 

Both Brendan Rodgers - whose former employers Celtic are still searching for his successor - and Michael Carrick found themselves in the hat for the two newly vacant job posts, alongside Gary O'Neil who has now withdrawn himself from a sensational Molineux return.

Ralph Hasenhuttl is another former Saints manager in the mix to replace Still, three years on from his St. Mary's departure, while England Under 21 head coach Lee Carsley is another 10/1 chance - less than a year after his failed interim audition for the national team's top job.

Still Championship Manager

Will Still became famous even before his breakthrough role with Reims in France for his affinity with popular video game, Championship manager. He took over at Reims in October 2022, starting his tenure with a 17-game unbeaten streak in Ligue 1 - including two draws with PSG.

Two years at Reims was followed by a single season in the same division with Lens, where he finished 8th before leaving for English football with Southampton. He had long been touted for a job in this country, including in the summer of 2024 when he came close to joining Sunderland - the surprise package in this season's Premier League who play Everton tonight.