Southampton are preparing for their return to the Premier League with pre-season set to start in just over a week.
Southampton secured promotion to the top flight via the Championship play-offs after a fourth-place finish so they know that there is work to be done to get their squad Premier League ready.
Manager Russell Martin will play a huge part in that, working alongside the club’s owners Sport Republic to identify potential signings and sanction any potential departures from the club this season.
The free agent market looks to be a particularly well-explored avenue for Southampton in the early weeks of the transfer window, with Adam Lallana joining on a free and Saman Ghoddos, Charlie Taylor and Bobby De Cordova-Reid all potentially joining him.
However, it is the contract situation of manager Martin that could prove to be a costly error for Sport Republic.
Russell Martin set to sign new Southampton contract
Martin was appointed Southampton manager last summer after the club had suffered relegation from the Premier League.
The 38-year-old’s arrival was part of a shift in direction from the club’s ownership, who had identified possession-based football as the key to long-term success.
Martin fit the bill, despite being relatively inexperienced having started as a manager in 2019, and was given a contract up until 2026.
Now, having impressed in not only his football and gaining promotion but the connection he has built with what was a fractured fanbase, Martin is reportedly set to sign a new deal which is effectively a one-year extension on his current terms.
This improved deal is reflective of the positive job that the former Swansea City manager has done in his solitary season but it does represent a real risk from Southampton’s owners.
Martin more difficult to sack if Southampton start poorly
Sport Republic should perhaps be applauded for the show of faith they have placed in Martin, as well as rewarding him for promotion.
However, the worry is that the new contract could be seen as a slightly naive move ahead of a Premier League return.
This is because, if Southampton are to struggle and the board feel a change is needed then the new deal makes it more difficult – and much more expensive – to sack Martin should that course of action be deemed required.
Burnley played a similar style of football to Southampton as they stormed to the Championship title in 2022/23 but it did not translate well to the top flight where they finished 19th last season.
There is a real risk that the Saints suffer the same kind of outcome and, whilst Burnley stuck with Kompany, Sport Republic could see fit to try and get someone new in the dugout.
This is where the new deal makes things more difficult, but it could well mean that Sport Republic see Martin as the right man for the job long-term regardless of their fate next season.