Southampton Know Exact Date Russell Martin Will Be Appointed Monday, 5th Jun 2023 08:50 A couple of weeks ago we were predicting the imminent arrival of Russell Martin and contemplating that we might actually have two managers employed for the Liverpool game, since then things have calmed down a little, but it is only a delay and Saints know exactly when he will be able to join from Swansea City. Many Saints supporters were hoping that the failure to appoint Russell Martin ahead of the Liverpool game was ain indication that the deal had hit a snag or perhaps Saints had changed their mind or even found what the Southampton supporters would consider a better replacement in the St Mary's managerial vacancy. But it became clear that the snag was a small one, it was just about the level of compensation with Martin's contract containing different levels that would be paid depending on whether he left for a Premier League or Championship club. Saints it seemed were of the opinion that once they had been mathematically relegated they were no longer a Premier League club in all but name and were keen to crack on, but it seems that Swansea are not playing ball on this and are not prepared to play ball. So when will Martin be able to join Saints at the lower compensation level ? the answer is that we officially leave the Premier League on June 14th, so presumably either that day or the day after on the 15th. Why Swansea are being so difficult is unclear, media reports from South Wales suggested that they were not that bothered about Martin leaving, they had declined to enter discussions with him about extending his contract beyond next year when it ends. In many respects they are cutting off their nose to spite their face both from a replacing him point of view but also financially. The compensation difference between coming now or wating a few weeks is said to be £1 million if he leaves with Saints a Premier League cup and £400k if we are in the Championship. With Southampton preferring to save £600k and wait a few weeks, you would think that perhaps they would be looking to save a few bob themselves by settling early and saving on Martin and his backroom staff who join him on the South Coast's wages. Probably not a massive amount but certainly a 6 figure total for the best part of a month's wages. From a logistical point of view Saints are losing little in planning by Martin not being appointed until June 14th, he himself will need a break before he starts the job and he would arrive at Staplewood to find all the players themselves on holiday.
To put it bluntly there is no need for him to physically be at the club yet, he will be able to start planning with Sport Republic and Jason Wilcox as head of football, in essence he will still be able to do anything other than coaching players and that he won't be able to do until their return around the 26th June anyway. Even then he won't be able to get down to the real work, he will have last season's squad back and none of them will be going anywhere until 1st July when they get their loyalty bonus paid. So sadly for those who hope that this appointment won't happen, this isn't good news, likewise those who want to use it as a stick to beat the club around the head with haven't got any evidence either, on the surface it doesn't look good, but underneath Saints are doing the right thing from a financial perspective and it has no affect on the footballing side. Photo: Action Images Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.
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