Next Southampton manager: Celtic's Ange Postecoglou ranked as outsider to replace Ralph Hasenhuttl as hot favourite emerges

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou is not one of the front-runners to replace Ralph Hassenhuttl should he be dismissed by Southampton.

The Saints are currently in the relegation zone of the English Premier League and speculation intensified over the Austrian’s future on Sunday following a 4-1 defeat by Newcastle United.

Hassenhuttl, 55, has been in charge of Southampton since 2018. He joined from RB Leipzig and while he has had some success at St Mary’s, they flirted with the drop last season and have started this campaign poorly. Scotland striker Che Adams and his international team-mate Stuart Armstrong play regularly for them, with a big onus on recruiting promising young players. However, the tide has turned against Hassenhuttl, with the Southampton hierarchy deciding that a change is needed. They play Sheffield Wednesday on Wednesday in the EFL Cup third round.

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou was linked with another job on England’s south coast earlier this season when Graham Potter left Brighton and Hove Albion for Chelsea. The Seagulls eventually went for Roberto de Zerbi as their new boss but due to his success in Scotland, the Australian is on the radar of clubs across the EPL.

This time around, though, it looks like there will not be the same speculation. At least in the eyes of the oddsmen, anyway. Postecoglou is currently priced at 33/1 by most high-street bookmakers to be the next Southampton manager, with current Luton Town boss Nathan Jones as short as 2/9 in places to replace Hassenhuttl. Other candidates include River Plate’s Marcelo Gallardo at 4/1, ex-Everton, Liverpool and Real Madrid man Rafael Benitez at 16/1, while Domenico Tedesco, Sean Dyche, Nuno Espirito Santo and Pedro Martins are also at that price.

Intriguingly, former Rangers manager Steven Gerrard – out of work following last month’s sacking by Aston Villa – is a 20/1 shot to make a swift return to the dugout. Gerrard was axed by the Villa board less than a year into his tenure after a poor start to the season.