Ralph Hasenhuttl will consider retiring once his Southampton contract expires in 2024, according to The Athletic’s Dan Sheldon.
The Lowdown: Hasenhuttl’s Saints tenure
The Austrian arrived at St Mary’s in December 2018 after previously managing Bundesliga side RB Leipzig.
With his contract set to expire in the summer of 2024, Hasenhuttl will become Saints’ longest-serving manager since Chris Nicholl, if he sees out the remainder of his deal.
To date, the 54-year-old has been in charge for 140 matches at the south-coast club, averaging 1.32 points per match during his tenure.
The Latest: Hasenhuttl could retire
According to The Athletic’s Dan Sheldon, “Ralph Hasenhuttl will consider retiring once his Southampton contract expires in 2024”.
In an interview with German outlet Kicker (relayed by The Athletic), the Southampton boss spoke about his footballing future.
“I always wanted to prove to myself that I could very well work for a club for a longer period of time.
“Hopefully it will be five-and-a-half-years here, that’s a damn long time in modern football, and then that’s probably it.
“Five-and-a-half-years in the Premier League, that’s a lot of energy, regardless of job satisfaction. I can’t imagine that I want to do anything else in coaching after that.
“And saying no to everything else is also a yes to yourself, and I want that. That’s the solid plan and I hope I have the strength to pull it off. I want to put Southampton on a very healthy footing by 2024, but then that is it.
“I’ll be 57-years-old. I’d like to experience other things and not sit on the bench like Roy Hodgson at 74. Definitely not.”
The Verdict: Big shock
While one can understand Hasenhuttl’s reasoning – most people in all walks of life would prefer not to work well into their 60s – it certainly comes a shock to hear he would walk away just when he may finally get the backing to really make a surge up the table.
With life looking positive at Saints having recently been bought by Sport Republic, now may have been seen as the perfect time for Hasenhuttl to add some serious signings to the players already at his disposal and really kick on.
One only needs to look at the form of Mohammed Salisu in recent weeks to see the impact a really top class signing can bring – what could the manager do with three or four more players of this ilk?
There is one silver lining though – given he has over two years remaining on his current contract, Southampton’s new owners have plenty of time to put a proper succession plan into place.
In other news: Ralph Hasenhuttl confirms Nathan Tella injury news
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