"Not convinced" - Claim made on Southampton boss Russell Martin amid Brighton news | OneFootball

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Russell Martin has enjoyed a successful season at Southampton after taking over last summer.

The former MK Dons and Swansea City head coach took over at St Mary's after the club prepared for its first season at Championship level since winning automatic promotion back in the 2011/12 season.

Despite the occasional dip in form, Martin has got the Saints playing an attractive brand of football whilst finding the back of the net on a plethora of occasions through the main goal threat of Adam Armstrong and his strike partner, Che Adams.

At present, his side are seven points behind the automatic promotion places with two games in hand on Ipswich Town and Leeds United, as well as one on Leicester City, alongside a visit to the King Power Stadium on April 23rd.

Southampton fan pundit issues stance on Russell Martin's links to Brighton

Given that 81 points would normally be enough to be within touching distance of a return to the Premier League, the job Martin has done at Southampton has in some ways gone under the radar as a result of the relentless pace set by the three teams above them in the table.

However, it was somewhat of a surprise to some people when FootballTransfers reported that Brighton and Hove Albion had held talks with Martin over the March international break, with the report claiming that Martin is viewed as a replacement for Roberto De Zerbi, who was said to be "almost certain" to depart the AMEX Stadium at the conclusion of the Premier League campaign.

Meanwhile, Football League World's Southampton FC fan pundit, Martin Sanders, isn't convinced by such rumours at this moment in time.

Sanders began. "Do I think he'd get the Brighton job? I'm not convinced he will."

"There's a big couple of weeks ahead for Southampton, but I understand why there's interest in him. Given the style of football, it's probably a perfect fit, to be fair," he continued.

"Whether he's done enough at Southampton to get him that next big move to a Premier League club, I'm not so sure. But he's done a really good job here in a short space of time.

Russell Martin stance will ease Southampton worries despite Jason Wilcox development

As Sanders referenced, Martin has worked extremely closely with Southampton's Director of Football, Jason Wilcox, throughout this season, and a big update has been issued by Fabrizio Romano relating to his links with Manchester United.

"He has an agreement with United over a contract, so now it’s just about an agreement with Southampton. He looks like he’ll be really important for United’s present and future as he knows how to manage young talents really well," Romano stated on his Daily Briefing on Monday.

However, the good news for Southampton fans is that the aforementioned developments won't hold any bearing on Martin's links to his hometown club, having come through Brighton's youth academy before moving to Wycombe Wanderers in 2004.

The 38-year-old has publicly stated to the Daily Echo that he has no idea where the speculation has come from.

“Honestly I’ve not got a clue,” Martin claimed.

“Obviously, I’m from there and the styles are fairly similar.

“I’m in a job I’m really happy with, and I need to get promoted to the Premier League," the Saints boss concluded.

Southampton must focus on their promotion bid

Even if the rumours are somebody "putting two and two together and making five," as Martin suggests, Southampton mustn't let this speculation deter their focus.

The dramatic 3-2 win over Watford on Saturday has increased their automatic promotion chances once again after the top three all failed to win for a second successive gameweek.

Southampton have the first of two chances to close down Ipswich, Leicester and Leeds on Tuesday night, when they play host to Preston North End in a re-arranged fixture.