Serie A giants Atalanta may explore ex-Southampton boss Ivan Juric's case to replace legendary coach Gian Piero Gasperini.
Recently, the 2024/25 season officially came to a close with the UCL Final as PSG lifted their inaugural title. Now, unlike the Europa League, Southampton had no winners to cheer about, yet hardly any Saints fans would've missed the epic showdown.
But truth be told, now, Southampton again finds itself far distanced from the Champions League. Especially given the billionaire Alalshikh rumours don’t look close to coming true anytime soon.
Still, while all current Saints players are tipped to miss the next UCL campaign, that may not be the case for one of the club's former staff.
In a surprise turn of events that no one would have seen coming, ex-Saints boss Ivan Juric can lead Atalanta in the Champions League next season.
As per journalist Gianluca Di Marzio(via Sport Witness), Atalanta is considering Juric as an option to replace their iconic boss Gian Piero Gasperini who left the club this summer. While the former Saints boss has Thiago Motta in competition to land the role, Juric's Italy return hopes aren't completely off.
Ex-boss Ivan Juric's Atalanta links will surprise all Saints fans
Honestly, this transfer interest despite knowing Juric's recent track record surely catches Saints fans off guard, but for Serie A followers, it may be far less intriguing.
That's because despite having the worst records in the Premier League, Juric's past spells at Hellas Verona and Torino have kept his reputation intact in Serie A. And that's how, despite a sacking at Roma this season, Juric still stands in contention for a top-notch role in Italy.
Still, that being said, his potential switch to a Champions League club will always feel unfair to Saints fans. Especially that, despite a better Southampton performance, his predecessor Russell Martin is close to landing a Rangers job.
But again, the 2024/25 season is over and the Saints will want to move ahead of this forgetful chapter. Similarly, the supporters mustn't keep any hard feelings for Ivan Juric, who too, is tipped for a new managerial stint.