Jesse Marsch: Talks between former Leeds boss and Southampton break down

Talks between Jesse Marsch and Southampton over the former Leeds boss becoming their new manager have broken down.

Sky Sports News understands it was the final detail of contract duration that was the key stumbling block as well as Marsch’s feeling that the Southampton project was not quite right for him at this time.

Marsch met with the owners today in Southampton and after negotiations that went on for several hours, both parties agreed to walk away.

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Marsch had been on the verge of becoming the new Saints boss just a week after being sacked by Leeds. He left with the club only above the relegation zone on goal difference following a seven-game winless run in the league.

He had been keen on a return to management and was excited by the Southampton project, despite the club sitting bottom of the Premier League, four points from safety.

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Saints dismissed Nathan Jones on Sunday with the former Luton boss having only taken over from Ralph Hasenhuttl in November, shortly before the league paused for the Qatar World Cup.

First-team lead coach Ruben Selles has been taking charge of training and is preparing the team ahead of Saturday’s fixture at Chelsea.

‘Marsch struggled to win over Leeds fans’

Image: Jesse Marsch was sacked by Leeds after less than a year in charge

Sky Sports News chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol:

“I think a section of Leeds United supporters were never really convinced by Jesse Marsch. I know it’s a cliche, but football is a results business and results haven’t been good enough.

“Leeds are only out of the relegation zone on goal difference and the owners looked at the situation and felt as if they had to make a change.

“If you look at Jesse Marsch’s record, he only won 11 of his 37 games as Leeds manager. He’d only won two of the last 17 and they had two very important games coming up against Manchester United. Things had to change.

“I know some people at Leeds supported Marsch, but there were some people at the top of the club who felt as if they had to bring someone else in or there was a real danger they could slide into the Championship and we all know how disastrous that is for a big Premier League club who have invested a lot of money in their squad to drop out of the top flight.

“In making this decision, the owners have obviously looked back at the investment they’ve made in this transfer window and in the summer and felt like they’ve had to make a change.

“What they have to do now is find that new manager very, very quickly.

“Unfortunately, this is the time of year when owners get a bit twitchy, get a bit nervous, and start to think about making changes.”