
<p>Ruben Selles will remain as head coach of Southampton for the remainder of the season. The South Coast club <a href="https://www.southamptonfc.com/news/2023-02-24/ruben-selles-mens-first-team-manager-announcement" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">revealed the news</a> prior to the coach’s customary press conference on Friday. Selles has twice been at the helm temporarily during the current campaign. Nevertheless, the 39-year-old will now remain at the post for near future. </p>



<h2>Coach thrilled to be given opportunity with Saints</h2>



<p>“It’s a pleasure for me. I think we all deserve it. All the technical staff and the full staff have been amazing in the last ten days together,” Selles <a href="https://www.hampshirelive.news/sport/football/football-news/ruben-selles-leeds-united-southampton-8186298" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said</a> during the press conference. “For me, it’s a pleasure to lead such a unit and a good group of players.”</p>



<p>“I can tell you that I’m very thankful for the owners and&nbsp;for Martin [Semmens]&nbsp;for giving me the opportunity until the end of the season, and for all the support I got in the last week. Once the club decided that I was the person to take it until the end of the season, I just continued doing my job. It was nothing special, it was just about continuing the good work that we have been doing the last two weeks.”</p>



<h2>Chelsea victory helped coach’s cause</h2>



<p>The Spanish coach was given the opportunity as caretaker after Nathan Jones was fired from the role on February 12th. Selles guided the Saints to a victory against <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/chelsea-tv-schedule/">Chelsea</a> last weekend. The team’s impressive display against the west London club last Saturday helped the coach keep the job for the remainder of the season.</p>



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<div class="ck-youtube"><iframe loading="lazy" title="Southampton confirm Ruben Selles as manager until end of season" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MdtgzkuAlgc?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>
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<p>Southampton nearly gave the head coaching job to Jesse Marsch. However, talks between the two sides fell apart after the American wanted a more stable contract. Instead, the Saints preferred to only award a short-term deal for the remainder of the season.</p>



<p>Nevertheless, Selles will now try to take the club out of the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/premier-league-tv-schedule/">Premier League</a> relegation zone. Despite the Chelsea win, Southampton is still currently bottom of the table. Although the gap between bottom and 17th-placed Bournemouth is now just three points. The Saints next face fellow bottom three team Leeds on Saturday in a massive matchup. The loser of the game could be in deep trouble in the relegation race. </p>


Club officials have officially given Ruben Selles the new Southampton job to replace Nathan Jones after he was sacked from the position.

Southampton appoint Selles as head coach for remainder of season - World Soccer Talk

Southampton appoint Selles as head coach for remainder of season


<p>Jesse Marsch will not be heading to Southampton after all. The American coach had been <a href="https:\/\/www.bbc.com/sport/football/64638263" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">heavily linked</a> with <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/news/southampton-target-jesse-marsch-while-us-soccer-dawdles-20230213-WST-419654.html">the Saints job</a> in recent days since <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/news/southampton-fire-nathan-jones-after-3-months-in-charge-20230212-WST-419479.html">Nathan Jones was sacked</a>. However, <em><a href="https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2023/02/15/southampton-talks-jesse-marsch-break/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Telegraph</a></em> is now reporting that the deal between the two sides hit a major snag.</p>



<h2>Contract length crux of concern for Jesse Marsch at Southampton</h2>



<p>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 <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/premier-league-tv-schedule/">Premier League</a> standings complicated things. The Saints currently sit bottom of the table, four points from safety. </p>



<p>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.</p>



<p><em>Sky Sports</em> 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. </p>



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<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">BREAKING! Jesse Marsch will NOT become the next Southampton manager after talks have broken down ❌<a href="https:\/\/t.co/9npfZtWIEZ">pic.twitter.com/9npfZtWIEZ</a></p>— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) <a href="https:\/\/twitter.com/SkySportsPL/status/1625872497538215939?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 15, 2023</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https:\/\/platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<p>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.</p>



<h5>Caretaker coach to lead Saints into west London</h5>



<p>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 <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/teams/chelsea-tv-schedule/">Chelsea</a> 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. </p>



<p><em>PHOTO: IMAGO / Pro Sports Images</em></p>


Jesse Marsch and Southampton could not agree on a contract despite the two sides being in advanced talks on a deal.

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