Southampton confirm appointment of former RB Leipzig head coach

Southampton have confirmed the arrival of former RB Leipzig head coach Ralph Hasenhuttl on a two-and-a-half-year deal.

The Premier League strugglers sacked Mark Hughes after Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Manchester United and have moved quickly to appoint his successor.

Hasenhuttl has been out of work since stepping down as RB Leipzig head coach at the end of last season.

The 51-year-old masterminded Leipzig’s transition into the Bundesliga during his first season in charge and secured a hugely impressive second place.

Leipzig failed to make it out of the group stages of last season’s Champions League but made it to the quarter-finals of the Europa League before being eliminated by eventual finalists Marseille.

Hasenhuttl will now be tasked with steering Southampton clear of relegation but will not in charge of Wednesday’s Premier League encounter away to Tottenham.

“The urgency to find a path back to our potential and to the results that we expect cannot be underestimated,” Southampton chairman Ralph Krueger told the club’s official website.

“For that reason, we are extremely pleased that Ralph Hasenhuttl has agreed to become our new manager and do all he can to help guide us back on that path.

“This manager change offers us a fresh start and, very quickly, Ralph emerged as our ideal candidate. As a coach, he embodies the passion, the structure, communication skill set, work ethic and appetite for growth that we strive for in our Southampton Way.

“The quick, smooth and seamless negotiation process underlines the character of the person that he is.”

Hasenhuttl finished his stint as Leipzig manager with a win ratio of 49.4% but Southampton have only won one of their opening 14 league games and are one point adrift of safety.