Where does Ralph Hasenhuttl sit in Newcastle manager race?

Whilst Southampton look for fresh investment of their own, Premier League rivals Newcastle are searching for a new manager to lead their charge under new ownership.

The Saudi-backed takeover at St James’ Park had the whole top-flight taking note as talking points including money and ethics hit the agenda, and it was not long before Steve Bruce was sacked as Magpies boss.

The search for the right successor to Bruce is now underway but it appears that Southampton’s Ralph Hasenhuttl is not fancied as one of the favourites to take the helm in the North East.

Via oddschecker.com, Hasenhuttl has odds ranging from 50/1 to 113/1 on his head right now as the race to take over at Newcastle is assessed. The overwhelming favourite is Eddie Howe, who was linked as a potential long-term successor to Hasenhuttl at Southampton recently.

Southampton and Hasenhuttl seem committed to long-term project

Even with two 9-0 defeats under his belt, Ralph Hasenhuttl has seemingly not been close to being removed from his Southampton post.

There have been moments of real pressure and results that have come at the right time for the Austrian, but Southampton are keen to allow Hasenhuttl time to build through a transitional period and potentially into a spell under new ownership.

Former Arsenal boss Unai Emery could be a good example when trying to understand how Hasenhuttl may look at a project like Newcastle’s.

Emery – now enjoying success at Villarreal – is secure in his job in Spain and has a team that is performing well without much pressure from above. They are also on their way to qualification for the knockout stages of the Champions League.

His job security compared to the scrutiny that he will would have undoubtedly been under at Newcastle has led to him ruling himself out of a move back to England.

Ralph Hasenhuttl would surely be much the same – the time that he is getting with Southampton is valuable, where one mistake for the next Newcastle manager could prove costly.