Southampton FC: Bold Jason Wilcox decision at St Mary's helped secure £100m jackpot - View | OneFootball

Southampton took a risk on Russell Martin, but it most certainly paid off

Southampton rolled the dice and committed to a significant high-risk, high-reward managerial gamble upon their relegation to the Championship in 2023, although they were soon vindicated in doing so.

The Saints had endured a downwards trajectory in the years preceding relegation, having finished 15th in consecutive campaigns before finishing in 20th place and some eleven points shy of safety to cease their eleven-year Premier League stay.

Relegated alongside Leeds United and Leicester City, Southampton shared the fortune of receiving generous parachute payments and significant fees for prized assets in Romeo Lavia, Tino Livramento, James Ward-Prowse and Nathan Tella.

According to Transfermarkt, Southampton collected €187.2m [£158.1m] in player sales and loan fees that summer, while being in receipt of parachute payments worth 55 percent of the Premier League's broadcast deal, helping to soften the considerable financial losses brought on by relegation.

Southampton were always poised to strongly challenge for promotion at an absolute minimum and they eventually did so by defeating Leeds United in the Championship play-off final back in May. Their success, then, was the byproduct of a calculated risk in Russell Martin, which paid off rather handsomely.

Southampton's bold 23/24 Russell Martin risk paid off

The south coast outfit appointed Martin on a three-year-contract last June. They had been without a manager following Ruben Selles' departure at the end of the previous season, although Martin's appointment had invited initial skepticism.

Martin, a progressive and possession-obsessed manager with an invariable commitment to his core coaching principles, earned plaudits for his style at Swansea City, although their highest league finish across his two-year tenure was in the ex-boss' second and final season in charge.

Of course, his stylistic emphasis upon playing out from the back, dominating possession at all costs, patiently building up play and utilising rotations was in total alignment with Swansea's overarching ethos and supporters largely brought into his project at the time. His side, however, were far from immune to struggling in transition and certain factions of the fanbase had criticised what they deemed to be an overly-patient approach.

Martin's philosophy, as opposed to his history, was ultimately what persuaded then-director of football Jason Wilcox to make him the first and only managerial appointment of his brief stay at the St Mary's Stadium before leaving for Manchester United in April.

Southampton were focusing on the principles, potential and Martin's ability to work closely and cultivate young talent, which he had done at Swansea with the likes of Oliver Cooper, Michael Obafemi and Nathan Wood - the latter of whom he brought to Hampshire this summer. However, Martin's lack of promotion-winning experience or consistency in the way of results nonetheless marked the appointment as an undeniable gamble.

There were serious concerns about whether Southampton's gamble had already failed when they embarked on a miserable four-game losing streak across September, which included a 5-0 thrashing away at Sunderland and a bruising 4-1 loss at home to promotion rivals Leicester.

But after the humiliation against the Foxes, Southampton would not taste defeat again until a trip to Bristol City in February.

Naturally, Southampton endured some sketchy late-season results, losing 2-1 at home to both Hull City and Millwall in the space of four days shortly after the Ashton Gate defeat, falling to the same scoreline against Cardiff City in April and then conceding their second 5-0 loss to Leicester in the wake of that, too.

Indeed, such results did cost them the comfort of automatic promotion and they had to gamble on the lottery of the play-offs, eventually running out as victors at Wembley.

It was a priceless moment for anyone of a Southampton persuasion to savour and, importantly, an unshakable justification to the club's risky punt on Martin the previous summer.

Southampton's Russell Martin gamble earned £100m promotion jackpot

The second-tier play-off final is widely-known as the most lucrative fixture in the footballing calendar, with its winners receiving £100m just for securing promotion.

Southampton were the recipients of that windfall, though it pales in comparison to the influx they stand to gain if they survive in Martin's first Premier League season.

According to reports, the figure will double to £200m should they proceed to retain their top-flight status at the end of the 2024/25 season, while the additional money earned from broadcast deals and league placement could only further strengthen Southampton's financial muscle.

That could well be deemed as a tall order at this moment in time; Southampton appear very much among the favourites to be relegated this season and Martin may need to contradict his fundamentals and make his side more resolute, harder to play against and less expansive in possession to avoid being turned over in the top-flight.

Only time will tell on that front. Nonetheless, though, Martin ultimately achieved the objective of guiding the club back to the Premier League at the first time of asking while netting them some eye-watering cash in the process.

That surely has to be recognised as a success.