Southampton and Jesse Marsch part ways after deal not reached

Jesse Marsch will not be heading to Southampton after all. The American coach had been heavily linked with the Saints job in recent days since Nathan Jones was sacked. However, The Telegraph is now reporting that the deal between the two sides hit a major snag.

Contract length crux of concern for Jesse Marsch at Southampton

The South Coast club was supposedly only willing to offer Marsch a short-term contract. Despite positive talks between club and coach, Southampton’s precarious place in the Premier League standings complicated things. The Saints currently sit bottom of the table, four points from safety.

Oddly enough, Marsch’s former team Leeds are currently the team Southampton need to top to get out of the relegation zone. If relegated, they would then potentially have to sack their third coach of the current campaign. This would obviously add to the financial strains of dropping from the top flight. Southampton have already fired Ralph Hasenhüttl and Jones within the last three months. Hiring Jones set the club back about $4.8 million.

Sky Sports also reports that the deal is now officially off between Marsch and the club. The coach spent the night in Southampton on Tuesday and met with team owners on Wednesday. However, after lengthy discussions, the two sides have mutually agreed that it was not the right deal.

Marsch was apparently not willing to accept a short-term offer from the club. This is not exactly unheard of in the world of coaching. Managers typically want more stability and confidence from team owners. Nevertheless, Southampton is clearly looking for a coach to guide them until the summer.

Caretaker coach to lead Saints into west London

With Marsch, or any other permanent coach not brought in just yet, the Saints will now most likely turn to caretaker Ruben Selles. The assistant coach will almost certainly man the sidelines for the club’s trip to Chelsea at the weekend. Selles was previously at the helm for one game prior to the Jones hiring. Southampton drew the game against Sheffield Wednesday 1-1 in the Carabao Cup back in November.

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