West Brom: Potential Carlos Corberan, Southampton agreement would make little sense | OneFootball

Southampton's interest in West Brom's Carlos Corberan is surprising.

Southampton made the tough decision to sack Russell Martin on Sunday - just seven months after he led them to Championship Play-Off glory.

Having defeated Leeds United in late May, it was always clear that the Premier League would be a big step up for the Saints and Martin, who haven't coped well in the tier above.

Trying to implement his possession-based football, the former Swansea City manager picked up just five points across his 16 games in the Premier League. This has seen them net just 11 goals and concede a staggering 36, with the 5-0 home defeat to Tottenham Hotspur being the telling blow in his reign.

Attention now turns to finding a replacement in the dugout for Martin, and the early list of contenders has a certain Carlos Corberan leading the way, according to a report from Football Insider.

The 41-year-old has been in charge of West Bromwich Albion for 26 months and has led the Baggies to relative glory when you consider the difficulties he has had to overcome.

Last season, he pushed Albion to a fifth-placed finish and was just defeated by Martin's Southampton in the semi-final of the play-offs.

However, despite his strong credentials, the Saints job seems like a poisoned chalice presently and, with his differing style of play, it makes little sense for the Spaniard to move down south.

Southampton FC job makes little sense for Carlos Corberan or the Saints themselves

It is clear that Corberan deserves a shot at Premier League football, but the Southampton job isn't an appetising prospect currently.

Sitting nine points off safety, the relegation favourites have shown little to suggest they have the resilience needed to survive, with many players struggling to adapt to life in the top tier.

While the aforementioned league table is one aspect, the underlying statistics paint an even more damning picture with Southampton struggling at both ends of the pitch.

Their expected goals (xG) conceded and errors leading to goals are the worst in the division, and they can only counter this by averaging an expected goals scored tally of 1.07 per game. With just 11 goals scored, their conversion rate stands at 6.4%, meaning they score once every 15.6 shots.

This can partially be blamed on Martin, but the players haven't shown the level needed, and it would take a miracle for them to survive past this season.

For that reason, it ultimately makes little sense for Corberan to leave The Hawthorns, as many would argue that West Brom are more likely to secure promotion to the Premier League than Southampton are to survive.

Southampton FC style of play would only add to Carlos Corberan's concerns

During his time at the Saints, Martin faced heavy criticism for his inability to adapt to the higher level of football, with his team clearly struggling to implement their possession-based style against the likes of Tottenham and Chelsea.

These issues were evidently frustrating for the former boss, but nevertheless, this modern method left an imprint on the players which will be difficult to dispose of. Therefore, appointing a head coach who has similar attributes to Martin makes sense.

This is certainly not Corberan, whose direct, high-intensity football - often compared to his mentor Marcelo Bielsa's style - stands in sharp contrast to the possession-based approach that the former Swansea boss craved.

This would make it seem unlikely that the Spaniard would deem a move possible with a combination of various factors putting a negative stain on the Southampton job.