What Kamaldeen Sulemana has said about Ivan Juric may surprise Southampton fans | OneFootball

The Ghanaian winger and former Saints boss reunited in Serie A this summer after leaving St Mary's

Former Southampton winger Kamaldeen Sulemana has issued a claim on his ex-Saints and current Atalanta boss, Ivan Juric, and it is one which is likely to shock the supporters of the duo's former club.

Saints have endured a chequered past two years, having been relegated from the Premier League on two occasions during said timeframe, whilst also immediately returning to the top flight in the midst of this particular spell by achieving a first-time promotion after defeating Leeds United 1-0 in the 2024 Championship play-off final at Wembley Stadium.

The club's current predicament is a far cry from the previous decade or so, during which the South Coast club had firmly re-established themselves amongst the elite of English football after a seven-year hiatus and a fall as low down as League One for a two-season period between 2005 and 2012.

However, it is fair to say that Saints, alongside the other five newly-promoted sides from the 2022/23 and 2023/24 second tier campaigns, had failed to bridge a gap between themselves and their 17 divisional counterparts - one which many supporters of those clubs and rivals, alongside an array of ex-players and pundits believe is only going to widen further due to financial disparities.

As such, Southampton's 2024/25 campaign went down as, statistically, the second-worst in Premier League history ever since the inception of the top-flight's current format in the summer of 1992, accumulating a measly 12 points, one better than the all-time low accrued by Derby County in 2007/08.

Sulemana had seen both sides of the coin at St Mary's, being a part of all three contrasting campaigns after his club-record £22m switch from Rennes in February 2023 under Ruben Selles.

However, he would reunite with Juric, who many are likely to have already forgotten about in Hampshire, just three months after the Croatian left the club after their relegation was confirmed.

Kamaldeen Sulemana issues Ivan Juric claim that will surprise many Southampton supporters

Following his eight-figure move, the Ghanaian winger made 74 appearances for Southampton, scoring four times and providing seven assists.

Only 25 of those came under Russell Martin during the club's promotion-winning campaign of 2023/24 due to two injury issues, with Ryan Fraser filling said void on the left flank.

The 23-year-old would begin Saints' dismal Premier League campaign with a continuation of those injury blows, only making six appearances before Martin was dismissed following a 5-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur last December.

Juric, who had previously managed Roma for just 12 games, as well as Torino and Genoa, was then appointed on an 18-month contract. However, the Croatian was unable to stop the rot that had firmly set in at St Mary's.

Sulemana would feature in 14 of his 16 league matches in charge, as well as scoring in the FA Cup third round success over Swansea City, before Juric departed the club a day after relegation was confirmed, with Simon Rusk overseeing matters on an interim basis before the subsequent appointment of Will Still.

Amid a major squad reshuffle, the wide man was one of several high-profile names to depart the club in the summer, reuniting with Juric at Serie A club, Atalanta, ahead of their current UEFA Champions League campaign for £18m, with the deal also including a sell-on clause.

Two months into his stint in Bergamo, Sulemana has sung the praises of Juric for the individual impact he's had on the attacker's performances, although it will be a surprise to those of a Southampton persuasion who saw him win just two matches in charge.

"He's the perfect coach for me," he said via Gazzetta dello Sport. "Tactically and technically. He gave me his trust right away when I arrived at Southampton.

"He's a mentor to me, he helps me find the right position on the pitch, both offensively and defensively.

Sulemana claimed: "He's the teacher, and I'm the student: I trust him and I always want to do better."

Kamaldeen Sulemana has made a steady start following Southampton, Atalanta transfer switch

It's somewhat understandable to see why the 23-time international holds Juric in such high regard. After all, Sulemana has enjoyed a steady start to life at the New Balance Arena.

Juric has, once again, deployed him in a variety of attacking positions where he is capable of causing plenty of damage, resulting in two goals in just six Serie A appearances against Torino and Juventus - also posting an assist in the former of those encounters against either of the Turin-based clubs.

Sulemana also made his Champions League bow in a 2-1 home success against Club Brugge on September 30th with a 29-minute cameo, and he could be in line for a first start in the competition when they face off against Slavia Praha this Wednesday.