Southampton FC owners explain key incomings amid Championship target

Saints CEO Martin Semmens and director of football operations Matt Crocker have departed the club and they were already down a head of recruitment.

Under them are a number of other senior roles still but these, along with the first team manager, are among the most important when it comes to what you see on the pitch.

Sport Republic has announced the appointment of Darren Mowbray to replace chief recruiter Joe Shields and we await confirmation of manager Russell Martin’s arrival.

READ MORE: Sport Republic on Saints relegation, manager appointments and more

READ NEXT: Southampton FC owner Dragan Solak appeals for 'faith' from supporters

When asked about the plan to return to the Premier League by the Daily Echo, Rasmus Ankersen said: “The number one thing for us is to now create full alignment from top to bottom.

“We know how we want to play, we will have a coach who can execute that and we have a director of football overlooking that appointment who can get the players we need. We will support as much as we can from above.”

The incoming director of football is Manchester City academy’s director, Jason Wilcox, who made 273 Premier League appearances in a playing career of his own.

Wilcox, tasked with stitching everything together at Staplewood, has been based at the Etihad since 2012, initially coaching youth teams to title wins before taking the director job in 2017.

City’s EDS have won the last three Premier League 2 titles in succession and Saints plucked four of their talents last summer alone – Romeo Lavia, Gavin Bazunu, Samuel Edozie and Juan Larios.

Ankersen beamed: “Southampton’s DNA is developing talent and if Manchester City’s academy is not the best in the world, then it is definitely up there.

“Jason is not a guy who has been there for two years, he has been there for 10 years and really built it.

"First of all, that DNA and belief in young players and track record of developing footballers are always going to be an important part of being a director at Southampton.

“On top of that, Jason has a playing career and knows what it takes at the highest level, and if you have the chance to meet him you’ll see he is very competitive, a great leader and we think this is something that we need – somebody who can bring day-to-day leadership in line with where the club wants to go.”

The Dane added: “He will have day-to-day contact with the head coach and we will be here more often. We will have a presence here but that is mainly to support everyone and show that Sport Republic is behind the club and wants everyone to be successful.

“We want to support them but won’t be here executing day-to-day operations, that is their job. Jason will support the manager every day, be involved in key decisions and make sure we have that alignment.

“We want to build a larger system of clubs and fuel player development through that so we have enough on our plate building that and that is our focus but, clearly, this is our flagship club, so we will give whatever attention it needs to be successful.”

READ MORE: Southampton owner Dragan Solak appeals for 'faith' from supporters

Dragan Solak, who has now situated himself as chairman of Sport Republic and on the board at Saints, has been waiting patiently to make an important point.

The Serbian insists: “The new manager, the suggestion, the analysis and the reason why will come predominantly from Jason, not from us - because he is the director of football.

“We hope to be consulted and to be involved in decision-making but we truly believe in the people we will give power to run the club and will do everything we can to support them and enable them to do better.”

The Daily Echo asked Ankersen, Solak and club chairman Henrik Kraft about the new manager – expected to be Martin – and the former smiled, but conceded they would not talk specifics until the appointment was confirmed.

The terms 'head coach' and 'manager' have been interchangeable throughout the interview – but how much power will Martin, or whomever it is, have to influence those above him?

“Well, you don’t want to sign a player the head coach doesn’t want. There is a lot of waste there, so that is one part,” Ankersen said.

“But on the other hand, people from the outside sometimes forget that being the head coach is a hard job and they don’t have much time to watch players and that is why have a big scouting team that doesn’t do anything else but find the right players.

“The head coach is very important in identifying the type of player we want and the final process when we have three candidates, he can help choose which one he prefers. Jason will overlook this and it’s a collaborative effort.

“You want to have multiple views on a player to make sure every stone is turned. It’s a big operation, modern football. There is a whole system that operates that.”

Solak added: “He is always capable of staking his desires but they have to be checked over and there has to be a discussion and a joint decision.

“Nobody is going to just buy players and tell the coach, here is the team! He needs to like the players and know their role in the team.

“We will not send him a bus load of players, it’s not one man’s decision but it is in the domain of Jason, the manager, their team and scouts and us on the transfer committee.”

The club will also be looking to recruit an academy director and head of youth recruitment after Matt Hale and Dan Rice’s respective departures, while some other player insights and data scientists staff have left.

But club chairman Kraft rightly points out that Saints – mainly as a result of expected player trading and the safety net of parachute payments in the event of stagnation – are still in a good position compared to some of their Championship rivals.

He insisted: “The goal is to win the Championship, the goal is very clear, the goal is to get promoted.

“We are trying to shape the organisation to make sure it is fit for purpose and absolutely achieves that goal. I think we will have a lot more resources in reality than most of our competitors this season so we are in a very good position.”

Kraft added: “If it doesn’t happen this year, hopefully, it happens next year. We will continue to build, and a lot of the young players we brought in are getting better.

“That is one of the big advantages of the youthful nature of our recruitment, a lot of the players are getting better as they progress in their careers.”

If Saints can achieve their goal of an instant return to the Premier League, they will revert back to needing to overachieve their investment to push on. 

But it could also bring with it a momentum that had been lost over four or five years of staving off what many felt was an inevitability. 

Sport Republic's mistakes have accelerated a grim relegation and all the consequences that come with it but they point to examples of smart planning they hope to emulate. 

"I don’t think we should make any big promises," Ankersen said. "But what you have seen with Brighton and Brentford – these clubs have finished in the top 10 this season.

"If you work over a number of years with a concentrated strategy and make good decisions you can punch above your weight in the Premier League."