Southampton have reportedly identified Gary O’Neil as their top candidate to succeed Will Still as manager of the EFL Championship team.
According to the Telegraph, O’Neil is in “pole position” to take over the job after Still was fired last weekend following a dismal start to the season at St Mary’s. The Saints are 19th in the league, with only three wins and five losses in 14 games.
O’Neil was a front-runner to succeed Vitor Pereira at Wolverhampton Wanderers, however he ruled out a return to Molineux. He is available after being let go by the Premier League team in December 2024.
Southampton makes O’Neil their top choice.
O’Neil, who formerly managed Bournemouth and Wolves, is said to have many fans at Southampton. He led the Cherries to Premier League safety in 2022-23 before being abruptly fired.
The 42-year-old’s tenure in charge at Molineux was turbulent, leading to his dismissal last winter, but the Old Gold remain admirers because he was on their list of potential Vitor Pereira replacements. However, he has decided not to return to the club, allowing the Saints to make a move for the English player.
Southampton’s main expectation of any manager who succeeds Still is that they lead the club to potential play-off contention. However, O’Neil is not the only choice, as numerous other candidates are vying for the job at St Mary’s. Former Middlesbrough coach Michael Carrick is another of England’s young coaches out of work after the Riverside club fired him in the summer.
O’Neil began his coaching career as an assistant coach for Liverpool’s U23 team before moving on to the senior level with Bournemouth. He progressed to caretaker manager before signing a permanent job with the Cherries.
Due to the team’s precarious situation, Southampton’s management will be eager to locate Still’s replacement as soon as possible. Tonda Eckert is currently in charge on an interim basis and led his team to a 2-1 away victory over QPR on Wednesday.
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