Southampton are in talks with Russell Martin over a new contract after he led them back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.
Martin took Southampton up via a 1-0 play-off final win against Leeds United at Wembley Stadium in May and is now set to receive an improved deal.
He joined the club last summer and was tasked with securing their instant return to the Premier League after they were relegated at the end of the 2022-23 campaign.
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Following a bumpy start to his tenure in charge, which saw Southampton lose four games on the spin in September, the 38-year-old turned their fortunes around.
Between September and February, Martin led Southampton to a club-record 25-match unbeaten run, which put them firmly in contention for promotion.
And although they fell short of going up automatically, with Leicester City finishing first and Ipswich Town ending the season in second, fourth spot was enough to see them qualify for the play-offs.
Martin has developed a close relationship with the club’s players and was integral in improving morale after the club was relegated.
In May, Phil Parsons, the club’s chief executive, said Martin had “brought a really good vibe to the place”.
Jason Wilcox, now technical director at Manchester United, was behind Martin’s appointment last year and convinced him to leave Swansea City to sign a three-year deal at Southampton.
The club’s hierarchy were attracted to his style of play, which is possession-heavy, and did not blink during the early stages of last season when results were not going their way.
Southampton’s first game back in the Premier League is a trip to Newcastle on August 17 before hosting Nottingham Forest at St Mary’s the following week.
GO DEEPER
How Southampton corrected their course to win promotion to the Premier League
(Athena Pictures/Getty Images)
