Kyle Walker-Peters sends plea to Southampton FC board as big manager decision looms | OneFootball

The Saints are yet to decide what they are going to do about this key issue.

Kyle Walker-Peters has urged Southampton to "take their time" with appointing their next manager following the departure of Ivan Juric.

The confirmation of the Saints' relegation back to the Championship was soon followed by the confirmation that their Croatian manager would not be in charge of the first-team going forward. A number of names have been linked with the vacant position since then, including Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Rohl, who has been named as the club's preferred target by The Sun.

Other reported contenders include former Hull City boss Liam Rosenior, RC Lens manager Will Still and the currently out-of-work David Wagner. Technical director Johannes Spor is eyeing up a gaffer with experience in England following the failure of Juric, who had no prior exposure to football in this country before moving to St Mary's.

Kyle Walker-Peters makes plea to Southampton in manager search

No matter which person they end up landing on, the club's premier full-back wants the decision to be a considered and measure one, not a rushed one. Walker-Peters, who is currently set to leave Southampton at the end of this season when his contract expires.

"For the club to get back to the Premier League, they definitely need to make sure they take their time," said the 27-year-old to PLP, via the Daily Echo.

"They’ve said they are going to appoint a manager for the Championship, and they should take their time with that over the summer.

"They need to make sure they recruit right, and they will be fine just as we were the last time we went into the Championship. Hopefully, things go according to plan."

If Southampton end up pursuing Rohl, they are probably going to have to take their time in order to avoid paying a hefty compensation fee for their former assistant coach.

The Wednesday boss has a £4 million release clause in his contract for Premier League sides, but that figure drops significantly for Championship sides that are looking to poach Rohl, which is what Southampton will be soon enough.

Walker-Peters' teammate, Will Smallbone, agreed with the defender on the importance of getting this next appointment right for the club's future.

He said: "The appointment of a new manager is the next thing that they need to do as a football club. Going into next season, I think they need to…or we need to get everyone on board and sort things out early with regards to players and the manager."

Southampton should be in a slight rush to get their next manager

Because the end of the season is nearing, and Southampton's fate has already been confirmed, meaning they have nothing to play for in these final weeks of the season other than avoiding breaking Derby County's record for being the worst team in Premier League history, in terms of points accumulated, there's no urgent rush to get someone in before the summer.

So Walker-Peters is correct in what he said, but there are certainly some benefits to getting the next boss appointed in a timely fashion. They will need to have a good look at the squad and see which players suit them, who can be moved on and where the gaps are in the team.

If it gets towards the end of July, which is a long way away but still a possibility, and they don't have their new man in charge, then they are going to be faced with a seriously tough task of getting these players ready before the start of a crucial next season in the second tier.