Southampton, England – Late on Sunday, Southampton made the decision to terminate the contract of manager Russell Martin following a demoralizing 5-0 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur. This loss left Southampton at the bottom of the Premier League standings, having secured only one victory throughout the current season, sitting nine points away from safety.

The club released a statement confirming the challenging choice to part ways with Martin, the manager of their Men’s First Team. This move came on a significant day in the Premier League, as another club struggling with relegation, Wolverhampton Wanderers, also dismissed their head coach, Gary O’Neil. Wolverhampton resides in 19th place, just four points above Southampton.

Although Martin guided Southampton to the Premier League in the previous season, he could not reverse the team’s difficult start this term, culminating in a string of poor performances that saw the squad lose five out of their last six matches. The board mentioned how they had backed Martin and his coaching staff while maintaining open communication regarding the dire need for better results.

In light of this change, Southampton announced that Simon Rusk, who has been managing their under-21 team, would step in as interim manager. The club is now in search of a new leader to spearhead their efforts in avoiding relegation as the season progresses.