Southampton owners Sport Republic may be feeling a little nervous after the latest news coming out of Brighton.
The Seagulls have confirmed that manager Roberto De Zerbi will depart the club following their final game of the season against Manchester United.
According to Brighton Chairman Tony Bloom, the agreement for the Italian to leave was mutual, as he said: “We have mutually agreed to end Roberto’s contract at a time that suits both parties allowing us the earliest opportunity to plan for next season, and Roberto plenty of time to consider his next move and his future.”
It is unclear at this stage what De Zerbi’s next move may be, but there are openings this summer at the likes of Barcelona and Bayern Munich which could be behind his exit.
This news could be bad for Southampton though, as it could see Brighton reprise their interest in Russell Martin.
Brighton could target Russell Martin following Roberto De Zerbi exit
Martin has enjoyed a successful first season at Southampton and it could get even better with a place in the Championship play-off final secured.
Automatic promotion was the target, but in a season in which the incoming manager completely overhauled the playing style a fourth-place finish represents a decent season.
Whilst not everyone likes his style of play – some seeing it as possession for possession’s sake – Martin is generally viewed as one of the brightest young managers in the EFL and this means he is bound to attract Premier League interest at some stage.
De Zerbi’s exit will come as no great shock given the success he has enjoyed at Brighton and his ambitions to progress in the game, so Brighton will have been planning for this scenario for some time.
In fact, reports emerged only last month that the Seagulls had held talks with the Southampton boss about potentially replacing De Zerbi in the summer.
What has Martin said on Brighton links?
Brighton are widely praised for their approach to recruitment, both on the pitch and with the managers they employ.
Graham Potter came in shortly after joining Swansea City from Swedish side Osterstund, whilst De Zerbi joined the club having last managed Shakhtar Donetsk in Ukraine to take the club to the next level and into Europe for the first time.
A bright young manager with a possession-focused style that has a track record of improving players would seem the perfect fit for Brighton and this is exactly what Martin is.
To add to this, Martin is from Brighton which could make the job all the more attractive for the 38-year-old.
When reports emerged about discussions with the club in April, though, Martin was quick to shut down any speculation, saying: “Honestly I’ve not got a clue.”
“The head of media said it to me the other day and I’ve not got a clue. Obviously, I’m from there and the styles are fairly similar.
“It’s probably someone putting two and two together and making five,” Martin added.
“I’m in a job I’m really happy with, and I need to get promoted to the Premier League. It’s really that simple.”
Whilst Martin’s comments may very well be true, an offer of the Brighton job could become almost impossible to turn down should Southampton fail to earn promotion via the play-off final against Leeds United.