Forget Frank Lampard: Southampton FC must have these 5 managers on their list to replace Will Still | OneFootball

Southampton are on the search for a new manager, but should be keeping an eye on these five, rather than the current Coventry boss

Southampton are on the hunt for a new manager after they dismissed Will Still following a dismal start to the current campaign, with just two wins in the opening 13 matches.

It appears that Sport Republic have lofty ambitions for who to replace the 33-year-old, with Graeme Bailey reporting that their number one option is Frank Lampard, and that Mark Robins is being eyed up as well.

Coventry's fast start indicates that Lampard may be taking them one further than the play-off finish he managed last season, and his predecessor is currently taking Stoke from perennial mid-table candidates to top two hopefuls through the opening stages of the campaign.

While stranger things have happened, it's almost impossible to see why either Lampard or Robins would want to jump ship to a side who have failed to stop the rot from last season and are currently battling against a possible back-to-back relegation.

Instead, Southampton should be looking at these five candidates.

Russell Martin

Since Sport Republic took over in January 2022, Southampton have had six permanent managers, and have won 32 league games. Russell Martin is responsible for 27 of those.

Whilst the majority of the last three-and-a-half years have been truly terrible for everyone at St Mary's, the 2023/24 campaign, which ended in promotion to the Premier League, was a rare bright spot.

With Martin in need of a career revamp after a failed short stint at Rangers, a return to the side he has been the most successful at could be a win-win scenario if he's able to recapture the form of two seasons ago.

Michael Carrick

Michael Carrick has been out of work since the end of last season, after his near-three-year stint at Middlesbrough came to an end. During that time, the former Manchester United midfielder had Boro challenging for the play-offs, actually making the top six in his first year in charge.

Boro were 21st when he took over in October 2022, the exact same place Southampton find themselves currently, so he's shown he can front a new manager bounce and then sustain it through the rest of the campaign.

Plus, Carrick did have Middlesbrough in the play-offs midway through last season, before the wheels fell off significantly when Ben Doak got injured and Emmanuel Latte Lath was sold, so with the plethora of attacking quality Southampton have, the former Boro boss could excel there.

His former side may have gotten better results-wise since he was sacked, but that shouldn't deter the Saints from perhaps trusting him with the role for the foreseeable future.

Steven Gerrard

If Southampton can't get Lampard in, perhaps they could settle for someone who many indulge in debates on who the greatest English midfielder of all time is, alongside the current Coventry boss.

The former Rangers and Aston Villa boss said that he was close to a return to Ibrox, but felt that things "weren't perfect," leading the Scottish giants to turn to former Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Rohl, instead.

That could indicate that the 45-year-old is interested in a return to management, having been out of the dugout since he left Al-Ettifaq in January.

Having not been in an English management role in three years, a Championship club who have ambitions of getting back to the Premier League could be perfect for someone like Gerrard to reignite his managerial career.

Brendan Rodgers

This one may seem a long shot, as Brendan Rodgers has excelled in the Premier League on multiple occasions for the likes of Leicester City, Liverpool and Swansea City, the latter of which he got promoted from the Championship with in 2011 — the last time he managed in the second tier.

However, his time as a Premier League manager ended on a sour note, as he was the man responsible for the majority of Leicester's 2022/23 campaign, which saw the former Premier League champions relegated.

If he were to return to England to manage, a top-flight job may be difficult to come by, and, like Gerrard, a Championship side who have expectations to be challenging up at the top may be something that appeals to him.

Carlos Corberan

Southampton would also be wise to keep an eye on the situation at Valencia, as Carlos Corberan's side are currently in the bottom three of La Liga, with just two wins in 11 games.

Despite Corberan's heroics in steering the Spanish side from relegation in his first half-season at the club, his first full campaign has not started well at all, and Valencia may be looking for a new manager once more.

If the former Huddersfield Town and West Bromwich Albion boss does become available, Southampton must jump on this. Corberan has a 42% win percentage in the 190 games he's managed at the level and has led both aforementioned clubs to play-off campaigns.