BREAKING NEWS: First Premier League boss to be sacked this season edges closer with club’s board ‘split’

Southampton have struggled since gaining a return to the Premier League, and head coach Russell Martin is facing increased criticism from club owner Dragan Solak.

Russell Martin is more likely to lose his job as a result of Southampton’s disappointing start to the season.

The 38-year-old led the Saints to promotion through the Championship play-offs last season, but they are again in the Premier League relegation zone after failing to win any of their first six games.

Southampton have only one point on the board ahead of this weekend’s clash with title challengers Arsenal, and another defeat might put Martin on the verge of quitting before the international break.

While the former Swansea City manager deserves credit for leading the team to promotion last season, he is under more criticism. Saints owner Dragan Solak is dissatisfied with the results, putting Martin in a vulnerable situation.

According to talkSPORT, the senior brass at St Mary’s are’split’ on Martin. While Solak is concerned about the results, Martin has the confidence of sporting director Rasmus Ankerson, who headhunted him for the head coach position before his arrival last summer.

However, it is reported that Ankersen is also under investigation by Solak, who took over the club in January 2022.

Southampton are the Premier League’s lowest scorers, with only three goals in six games. Arsenal, on the other hand, has scored 12 goals in the same number of games and is yet to lose as they seek their first crown in more than 20 years.

Martin ripped at his team and accused them of being “soft” after they were thrashed 3-1 by Bournemouth on Monday night.
“They make 20 fouls to our 10 or whatever it is — I think that sums up the whole game,” Martin told Sky Sports following the game. “We were soft. The issue, regardless of style of play, is that if you don’t want to run and fight correctly, make contact, and take things personally, like in a duel, when we didn’t come out of the ball at all in the first half, it will be a problem.

“I felt I made enough of a point about Bournemouth and how they handled the game and how excellent they are at certain things, but apparently it wasn’t enough, because we appeared to be unprepared for it, which is strange given how much work we’ve done.

“I will never come out of here blaming the players; we are all together. I didn’t like most of what I saw, and I was disappointed by the lack of enthusiasm and determination. I informed them that there was nothing I hadn’t mentioned in the dressing room, but it’s always on the leader, and that’s my issue to solve.”