June 21, (THEWILL) – Southampton have officially announced the appointment of Russell Martin as their new manager, and he will manage Nigerians – Joe Aribo and Paul Onuachu, if they remain with the Saints next season in the Championship.
The 37-year-old former Norwich City defender and captain will be taking charge of the team following his successful tenure at Championship club Swansea City, where he has served as manager since 2021. Even though he only started his managerial career in 2019 with MK Dons, Martin has gained recognition for the progressive style of play he infuses in his teams.
Southampton Chairman, Henrik Kraft, shared his excitement about Martin’s arrival, saying of the club: “We are extremely thrilled to welcome Russell to Southampton. He stood out as the top candidate throughout our recruitment process and we have full confidence that his impressive track record, combined with the experienced leadership of our new Director of Football, Jason Wilcox, will lead to excellent results.”
Martin, upon finalising the agreement, remarked: “It is an honour to accept this opportunity at Southampton, a club with a rich and storied history. My goal is to bring this club back to its rightful place in the top tier of English football. I am prepared for this challenge and will dedicate myself fully to achieving this objective and making the supporters proud. I am delighted to be here and eager to get to work.”
Martin’s football career spans 29 appearances for Scotland, during which he featured for clubs such as Wycombe, Norwich, and Rangers, accumulating a total of 509 appearances. His passion for coaching was evident early on, as he began pursuing his coaching badges at the young age of 22. Taking charge of Swansea in 2021, he guided the team to a 15th-place finish in the 2021/2022 season, followed by an impressive 10th-place finish in the most recent campaign.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
