Revealed: Southampton looking to exploit Sheffield Wednesday loophole as they eye Danny Rohl | OneFootball

Rohl has emerged as the club's preferred candidate to replace Ivan Juric.

Southampton will try not to have a repeat of the Russell Martin compensation situation if they launch a move for Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Rohl.

Now that the Saints' relegation back to the Championship has been confirmed, and that they have parted ways with their former Croatian boss, Ivan Juric, they have two main focuses: not beating Derby County's record for fewest points in a Premier League season, and preparing for the 2025/26 campaign.

Those preparations will start with appointing a new manager. The club are said to want a manager with experience of managing in England, given how the inexperienced Juric fared once he made his way across the channel, and Rohl, the 35-year-olf German boss of the Owls, is the preferred target on their three-man shortlist, according to The Sun.

The list also includes former Hull City manager and current RC Strasbourg boss Liam Rosenior, but he is reportedly considered an ambitious target for them.

Rohl is someone that they have a long-standing interest in. The former Saints assistant under Ralph Hassenhuttl was named as a prospective option for them back in December, before they decided to go with Juric as Martin's successor.

He has mightily impressed since getting the Owls job in October 2023, his first as a manager, given the circumstances he has had to work under. He steered them clear of a near-certain relegation and they're now up towards mid-table security.

Southampton to look to avoid Russell Martin mistake with any Danny Rohl pursuit

Now the German is back on Southampton's radar after they deemed the compensation fee that they would've had to pay Wednesday at the time - £4 million, according to reports - to be too much.

That fee for any Premier League side wanting to take the German away from Hillsborough before the end of his contract, which expires in the summer of 2027, remains the same.

However, now that the Saints are set to become a second tier side again, they could reduce the money they'd have to fork out if they wait until they are officially back in the Championship before they try and get him, as the release clauses in Rohl's contract don't require teams in the same division as Wednesday to pay as much compensation for him as a top flight club, as per The Sun.

Back when Southampton were last relegated to the Championship, they ended up getting into a court battle with Swansea City over the compensation that they owed the Welsh side to get Martin to come to St Mary's, as they weren't officially a second tier side yet. The Sun have reported that they are keen to avoid repeating this mistake.

Rohl has also been linked with German side RB Leipzig in recent days. When asked about his future at Hillsborough on Tuesday evening, he claimed that his focus was on the Owls, but he didn't turn down the idea of discussions over what's next for him once the season is finished.

Danny Rohl would be the perfect option for Southampton

Rohl really does tick all of the Saints' boxes. He's young, he's a proven entity in the Championship, he's a modern manager but can also be flexible with his tactics; there isn't much to not like.

His pre-existing connections to St Mary's make this even more of a no-brainer, but not snapping him up now in order to save some money does leave Southampton vulnerable to a club like Leipzig biting the financial bullet in order to get Rohl before anyone else.