Following Ruben Selles’ departure from the club, Russell Martin will be appointed as the new head coach for Southampton and here is all you need to know about him and his tactics
Russell Martin, the head coach of Swansea City, will soon be introduced as Southampton’s new manager, officially.
Who is Russell Martin new Southampton manager, tactics, formation, playing style, contract details, salary
Russell Martin will sign a three year deal as new Southampton head coach, done and sealed โ contract will also include option for further year. ๐ดโช๏ธ #SaintsFC
Jason Wilcox appointment, instrumental in this appointment to propel the type of football Southampton want to play. pic.twitter.com/KQY5tQB6Yq
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 24, 2023
Ruben Selles’ position at Saints is anticipated to be filled by 37-year-old Martin as they rebuild after being demoted from the Premier League. They have made it clear that they won’t be renewing the Spanish player’s contract when it ends at the conclusion of the current season.
Russell Martin will sign a three year deal as new Southampton head coach, done and sealed โ contract will also include option for further year. ๐ดโช๏ธ #SaintsFC
Jason Wilcox appointment, instrumental in this appointment to propel the type of football Southampton want to play. pic.twitter.com/KQY5tQB6Yq
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 24, 2023
Martin, a former Scotland defender, will join several of his Swansea backroom personnel at Southampton.
Martin and his staff will be paid by Southampton as their contracts with Swansea are set to run until 2024. Martin was supposed to travel to the US last week to talk about his future with Swansea’s American ownership group, but that trip has been postponed.
He has repeatedly shown interest in extending his stay in Wales, but no new deal has been made. When Martin, a former captain of Norwich City, moved from MK Dons to Swansea in August 2021 to take the role of Steve Cooper, he agreed to a three-year contract.
In his first season in charge of Swansea in the Championship, he guided them to 15th place; in the recently concluded season, they were 10th.
Swansea had a promising start to the season, rising as high as fourth in October, before a protracted period of mediocrity that was followed by an energetic conclusion. Martin’s team finished 2022โ23 with a nine-game undefeated streak. His adherence to that style of play was thought to appeal to Southampton’s hierarchy, and his squad frequently played the type of possession football that has been the club’s trademark for the most of the last 15 years.
Who is Russell Martin?
Martin, who was raised in Brighton, started his playing career in the Brighton & Hove Albion junior academy as a center-back.
Southampton needed to pay just under ยฃ500,000 to take Swansea City boss Russell Martin to the south coast.
That figure for Southampton was a drop in the ocean compared to the parachute payments they will receive and also the accumulation of fees they are likely to receive for their star players this summer, with the ยฃ400,000 likely to be the amount Martin was set to make until the end of his contract in 2024 at Swansea.
Russell Martin’s playing career
Prior to spending eight years with Norwich City, a club that transitioned from League One to the Premier League, he had brief stints at Wycombe Wanderers and Peterborough throughout his professional career.
Martin’s playing career came to an end while he was a player for MK Dons, as Paul Tisdale was fired as manager shortly after Martin joined the club as a result of the team’s first-ever promotion to League One.
On November 2, 2019, Martin was named as his replacement, and he stopped playing to focus on his management duties. Martin has a total of 29 caps despite being born in England but being eligible to play for Scotland because to his father.
Russell Martin’s career as a manager so far
When the season was prematurely interrupted due to lockdown, Martin’s MK Dons team finished 19th, having survived their first season back in League One.
MK Dons had higher average possession than all teams besides two in Europe’s top leagues (Man City and Barcelona) during that span, and also set a British record for the most passes made before a goal (56). In League One during the 2020โ21 season, MK Dons got the most touches in the opponent box despite finishing 13th in the league.
With the assistance of Luke Williams, Matthew Gill, and Dean Thornton, Martin went to Championship Swansea City in August 2021. With little financial outlay, Martin has achieved 15th and 10th-place finishes.
Swansea became the first team to win the league double in the 110-year history of the derby when they defeated Cardiff City 7-0 on aggregate during their first season under Martin.
Russell Martin’s tactics
Martin’s approach is to control the ball, construct opportunities slowly, and maintain a high press to make the opposition make mistakes. The Swansea player enjoyed playing in teams that controlled the ball throughout his career and was motivated by watching teams like Man City, Barcelona, and Spain.
Martin frequently uses a 4-1-4-1 formation that converts into a back-three by placing the midfield six between the centre-backs. Attacking full-backs push forward.