Southampton’s Semmens speaks on Hasenhuttl as exit rumour appears

Southampton CEO Martin Semmens has spoken about Ralph Hasenhuttl after speculation about the Saints boss appeared online.

A report from Football Insider this morning claimed that a Saints source had suggested Hasenhuttl was believed to be close to the sack, but recent words from Semmens on the Austrian appear to suggest that both sides are still committed to what is a long-term project on the South Coast.

Speaking on the latest episode of the Total Saints podcast about Hasenhuttl’s squad and the demands that he puts on his players, Semmens said:

"“I think the players have bought into that model, that it can’t just be ten or nine of us doing the job and one player scoring the goals, it has got to be all 26 of us. That responsibility is the key trigger and if Ralph gets that, he will always get results for us.”"

Key run of games upcoming for Southampton’s future with Hasenhuttl

If Southampton are to avoid concerns of a relegation scrap this season, results will surely have to come in the next five league games.

Home clashes with Leeds United and Burnley – on place above and below Saints respectively – are followed by an away fixture at Watford (15th), home game versus Aston Villa (10th) and then a trip to Norwich (20th) in mid-November.

Martin Semmens also addressed the run of important fixtures that are in front of Hasenhuttl and his side now and admitted results would have to come if the club were to be where they want to be at Christmas time.

Despite some impressive results along the way, Hasenhuttl’s time with Southampton is really yet to get going. He arrived with a big reputation after his spell with RB Leipzig in Germany but has not managed to sustain a pull away from the lower reaches of the Premier League in England so far.

Given their commitment to building long-term under Hasenhuttl with ongoing projects at first-team and academy levels, it is unlikely that Saints will be changing manager soon.

However, it is not unreasonable to suggest that the club should be looking for an unbeaten run through to mid-November and a poor run will undoubtedly see the pressure raised.

It really does look like a crucial month of games for Southampton as a collective unit if they are to be looking up rather than down.