Ivan Juric ‘leaves’ Southampton with ‘break clause’ activated; two ‘appreciated’ managers named

Southampton have confirmed that they have ‘reached an agreement’ with Ivan Juric to ‘end his spell at the club’ following their relegation.

Southampton have comfortably been the worst team in the Premier League this season and their relegation was confirmed with seven games remaining on Sunday afternoon.

Sunday’s 3-1 loss at Tottenham Hotspur sealed their fate as they suffered the earliest relegation in Premier League history.

49-year-old Juric – who has previously managed AS Roma, Genoa and Torino – replaced Russell Martin at the end of 2024, penning an 18-month contract.

Southampton’s fortunes have not improved under Juric, who has only won two of his 16 games in charge in all competitions.

READ: Wretched Southampton fire themselves into list of earliest Premier League relegations ever

On Monday afternoon, Southampton announced Juric’s exit via a statement on the club’s website. “We can confirm that we have today reached an agreement with our Men’s First Team Manager, Ivan Jurić, to end his spell at the club.

“Ivan came to Southampton at a tough time and was tasked with trying to improve a squad in a difficult situation. Unfortunately, we haven’t seen performances progress the way we had hoped, but we would like to thank Ivan and his staff for their honesty and hard work as they fought against the odds to try and keep us up.

“With relegation to the Championship now confirmed, we believe it is important to give fans, players and staff some clarity on the future as we head into a very important summer.

“The process of finding a new manager to lead us as we look to secure an immediate return to the Premier League has now begun and is being led by Group Technical Director Johannes Spors.

“In the meantime, Simon Rusk has agreed to take charge of the team as Interim Manager for the remaining seven fixtures of this season and will be assisted by Adam Lallana.

“We remain incredibly grateful for the ongoing support of our fans. Their continued dedication and passion, despite what has been a very tough season, is remarkable and is appreciated by everyone at the club.

“Despite the challenges that relegation will bring, our goal is to restore a sense of pride for them in their team and club once again.”

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Journalist Ben Jacobs has reported on Juric’s exit. He has named two potential long-term replacements for Southampton heading into their return to the Championship.

Jacobs said: “Ivan Juric will be replaced by Simon Rusk as interim manager until the end of the season. Adam Lallana will act as his assistant.

“Juric’s departure to be confirmed imminently. Danny Rohl high in Southampton’s thinking.

“Liam Rosenior another name appreciated, but BlueCo have no intention to lose him, and Strasbourg are fighting for #UCL.”