Southampton confirm manager Ruben Selles will depart after final game of the season

The rookie boss was unable to halt Saints’ slide toward the Championship

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Southampton have confirmed that manager Ruben Selles will not have his contract renewed at the end of the season.

A dismal 2022/23 campaign has seen Saints relegated to the Championship, bottom of the Premier League table with one match to play. Ralph Hasenhuttl was dismissed partway through and Nathan Jones appointed, but his tenure was disastrous and short-lived, with Selles taking over from him in February, initially as interim boss.

After a positive response and a couple of improved results, Selles was handed the job until the end of the season and was initially bullish about his team’s chances of survival, but a run of just one draw and nine defeats in their last ten has seen them brutally cut adrift and consigned to the drop.

Southampton have now confirmed that after talks with the Spaniard, the 39-year-old will not be retained as the south coast club undertake a sweeping overhaul in preparation for life in the second tier.

A short statement read: “The club wants to place on record its thanks to Ruben for taking on the managerial position at a difficult time for the club and for giving his all as we attempted to stay in the Premier League.

“Ruben will take charge of the team for the final game against Liverpool on Sunday at St Mary’s. We wish him all the best for his future career.”

Earlier in the week, Saints also confirmed the departure of Martin Semmens as CEO, a position he had held since 2019.

Ownership group Sport Republic announced they were “taking full operational control” with Dragan Solak appointed Chairman of Sport Republic with the mandate to have an active role in overseeing “the activities of the Group” and “supporting the leadership of the club”.

Rasmus Ankersen remains in charge of football strategy and Henrik Kraft stays as Saints’ chairman, while also now taking on the role of interim CEO until a replacement for Semmens is confirmed. Jason Wilcox is also arriving at the club this summer as director of football.