Croatian Ivan Jurić, 49, has been appointed manager of Southampton after parting ways with Roma. He signed an 18-month contract, taking over from Russell Martin, who was dismissed following a 5-0 defeat to Tottenham.
Southampton, recently promoted to the Premier League, sits at the bottom of the table with five points and has not won a match since November 2. The squad is valued at €306 million.
“I’m very pleased. This is a big challenge, but I’m optimistic because I see a team that can improve. It’s important to connect with the fans right away. I want an aggressive team, and I believe Southampton supporters will appreciate that. I want us to play more aggressively and apply more pressing. We’ll need to quickly change the mentality because that’s my football philosophy,” Jurić said after signing the contract.
Jurić could make his debut on Sunday against Fulham, provided his work permit is approved, with a match against West Ham to follow.