Southampton has parted ways with manager Ivan Juric following the club’s relegation from the Premier League, the team confirmed on Monday.
The Saints were officially relegated after suffering a 3-1 defeat at Tottenham on Sunday, marking their descent into the Championship with seven games still remaining, setting a new Premier League record for the quickest relegation.
Previously, Derby and Huddersfield had been relegated with six games left in the 2008 and 2019 seasons, respectively.
Juric, who replaced Russell Martin in December when the team was already in peril, managed just one victory in league play, a 1-0 win at Ipswich in February.
Over the course of his tenure, Southampton lost 25 of their 31 top-flight matches.
With seven losses in their last eight league fixtures, Juric’s time at the helm proved unsuccessful.
As a result, Simon Rusk has been appointed as the interim manager for the remainder of the season, with former Southampton player Adam Lallana joining the staff as his assistant.
A club statement read, “We can confirm that we have today reached an agreement with our men’s first-team manager, Ivan Juric, to end his spell at the club.”
“Ivan came to Southampton at a tough time and was tasked with trying to improve a squad in a difficult situation,” the statement continued. “Unfortunately, we haven’t seen performances progress the way we had hoped, but we would like to thank Ivan and his staff for their honesty and hard work as they fought against the odds to try and keep us up.”
The club also stated, “With relegation to the Championship now confirmed, we believe it is important to give fans, players and staff some clarity on the future as we head into a very important summer.”
The statement added with gratitude for the fans, “We remain incredibly grateful for the ongoing support of our fans. Their continued dedication and passion, despite what has been a very tough season, is remarkable and is appreciated by everyone at the club. Despite the challenges that relegation will bring, our goal is to restore a sense of pride for them in their team and club once again.”
