Why Cardiff City may have one eye on potential Russell Martin, Southampton saga | OneFootball

Russell Martin could return to Southampton - and Cardiff City may wonder of a potential impact on the future of star playmaker Rubin Colwill

Southampton have become the second Championship club to sanction a managerial sacking in what remains the early stages of the 2025/26 campaign after parting ways with Will Still on Sunday evening, and fresh talk suggesting a potential return for ex-head coach Russell Martin may interest those far outside of Hampshire.

The Saints relieved Still of his duties following a run of just two victories from 13 league games, with Southampton left one place above the division's relegation zone off the back of three consecutive defeats to Bristol City, Blackburn Rovers and, decisively, Preston North End over the weekend.

Sport Republic are now heading up their latest managerial search on the south coast, which includes ambitious interest in Frank Lampard and Mark Robins of high-flying pair Coventry City and Stoke respectively. Another potential name on the shortlist, however, is the aforementioned Martin, who is reportedly believed to retain the backing of some of the senior players whom he led to the Premier League during his first season in charge before being dismissed in December 2024.

The former Norwich City stalwart returned to the dugout over the summer with Scottish giants Rangers, but his time at Ibrox was both brief and now infamous as he struggled catastrophically by winning only five of his 17 games in charge. Having been sacked last month, Martin is out of work once more and a return to St Mary's appears to represent a firm possibility at this moment in time.

Southampton supporters will, of course, share mixed feelings on that, with Martin remaining a divisive figure on the south coast to this day. It's hardly good news for Cardiff City, too, who may just have a tinge of fear in light of his lavish, and well-documented, praise of Rubin Colwill in years gone by.

Cardiff City will have one eye on Russell Martin, Southampton saga amid previous Rubin Colwill praise

Colwill, much like Martin, has often divided opinion. Martin himself, however, has never been in two minds about the mercurial playmaker, who has stepped up a notch this season with Cardiff after suffering relegation to League One, where he has established his reputation among the division's most talented operators with a string of scintillating displays under popular head coach Brian Barry-Murphy.

Now aged 23, and no longer a young talent with such leeway and latitude, Colwill has assumed a fresh air of responsibility, often donning the captain's armband and proving himself worthy of the trust, faith and liberation instilled by Barry-Murphy. It hasn't always been that way, though, and Colwill's previous years in Cardiff's first-team, which he first graduated to in 2021, were marked by inconsistency, albeit one could point to mitigating factors such as the incessant managerial churn, polarising and unaccommodating managerial styles, a lack of trust from Barry-Murphy's predecessors, no shortage of niggling injuries and knocks and dogfights against relegation to the third-tier.

Martin's fondness for Colwill first became publicised in April 2024, in which he labeled the attacking midfielder as "outstanding" in Cardiff's dramatic 2-1 victory over the Saints. Colwill was, it must be said, although he saved what remains one of his best displays in a Bluebirds shirt for City's 5-3 EFL Cup home defeat to Martin's Southampton at the start of the following campaign.

He shot to national attention after restoring parity with a stunning, thunderous strike from range, which left Saints stopper Joe Lumley helpless and Martin, much like the rest of Cardiff City Stadium that evening, in sheer awe.

Cardiff would, of course, end up losing that game, but Colwill's performance on the night was not lost on Martin, who laid bare his feelings on the nine-cap Welsh international afterwards.

Formerly of bitter rivals Swansea City, which makes for little love lost between Cardiff supporters and Martin at the best of times, the 39-year-old often watched Colwill in action for Wales' under-21 side, along with the first team, during his tenure in SA1. Martin described Colwill as a "special talent" who he has "liked for a long time", and his comments came at a stage where the City academy product was struggling to establish himself as a consistent fixture in Erol Bulut's side.

He said of Colwill: "Their [Cardiff's] first goal is a moment of brilliance from a player I've liked for a long time. He is a really talented player.

"I think he needs to become a really good Championship player first [before thinking about the Premier League]. He hasn't played enough games and he needs to get himself in the Cardiff team regularly.

"But I watched a lot of him for Wales under-21s when I was [at Swansea], I watched most of the Wales under-21s and first-team games. I used to bump into his dad all the time while travelling and we used to have a chat."

"I'm not his manager, so I don't see him day to day, but he has to make sure he becomes the first name on the team sheet for Cardiff because he has moments like tonight and I've seen him have a few moments over the last couple of years that a lot of players just don't possess. Really special.

"But he has to make sure he can use that special talent by being on the pitch more than he is now. I hope I haven't spoken out of turn, but that would be my assessment."

Martin's comments retain relevancy more than a year later, as his admiration of Colwill may just return itself to memories if he himself returns to Southampton.

The worry of that, which was expressed by Bluebirds supporters around the time of his comments, may only be amplified by the acceleration of Colwill's consistency and importance in this Cardiff side today, with the maverick now arguably a much better and rounded player - and much more appealing to sign - than the one who left Martin purring in the summer of 2024.

Cardiff City's Rubin Colwill fear involving Russell Martin and Southampton may be kept at bay — for now

The Cardiff faithful may not be sweating too much about where Colwill figures in Martin's potential return to Southampton for now. That's because the Bluebirds currently reside in third place in League One, appear well-placed to strongly compete for promotion, and have Colwill, by his own admission, playing the finest, most consistent football of his fluctuating career under a progressive and specialist head coach who deploys a system capable of maximising his technical and creative gifts in the final third.

Colwill has been, in the truest sense of the term, liberated by Barry-Murphy's appointment. Colwill himself has attributed his uptick in form and consistency to the demands and environment instilled by Barry-Murphy and his coaching staff, whereas the Irishman has frequently lauded his talents and most recently described City's vice-captain as a "player of the highest level" after his starring role in his side's 2-1 EFL Cup last-16 victory at Championship side Wrexham last week.

Colwill's liberation and close relationship with Barry-Murphy, coupled with his clear dedication to helping Cardiff achieve promotion back to the second-tier at the first attempt, means that a mid-season exit would have to be considered unlikely, even if Martin was to take the reins at Southampton and push the boat out to lure him away from the Welsh capital.

Cardiff's own bullish stance on retaining assets is worth mentioning, too, with the Bluebirds having managed to - quite remarkably - hold onto the likes of Colwill himself, Cian Ashford, Ronan Kpakio, Dylan Lawlor and Alex Robertson throughout the summer despite receiving strong interest from top Championship sides and beyond.

Colwill is, quite visibly, the star of the show right now.

His skillset is imperative to the way in which Barry-Murphy likes this Cardiff team to dominate possession with aggression and intent, and his creativity brings out the best in others — while Colwill's ability to score from range offers a new outlet and dynamic, too. So, Cardiff are going to have no interest in accepting offers which may come their way, and Colwill undoubtedly has to be retained, and remain in such strong form, for the entirety of the campaign if they are to achieve promotion.

If Cardiff ultimately fall short of realising their ambitions to return to the Championship with immediate effect, however, and Martin returns to Southampton, it would be no surprise to see the ex-Swansea boss — regarded as a pantomine villain of sorts within this corner of South Wales — attempt to prise away the "special talent" who he so clearly admirers. Martin would, of course, not be the only second-tier manager interested in Colwill's services if Cardiff are to spend a second season in League One, a division which is rather evidently some way below his talent and performance levels.