Premier League club release statement after huge decision confirmed amid nightmare season

Ivan Juric has stepped down from his managerial role at Southampton as the club faces relegation from the Premier League.

The Saints' demotion was confirmed in a record-setting manner .

Juric, who came in to fill Russell Martin's shoes on an 18-month deal last December, only managed to obtain four points during his 14 matches at the helm in the top division. The 49 year old had a solitary league win under his belt a 2-1 victory against Ipswich on February 1.

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This season saw get relegated with seven games left, flirting dangerously close to Derby's infamous low of 11 points from the 2007-08 season. Following the defeat at Tottenham, Juric expressed his admiration for Southampton's "incredible" supporters. However, news of his departure broke the following Monday morning before a statement was released after midday.

"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," a statement from Southampton read.

"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." After experiencing relegation in 2023, the Saints bounced back promptly by triumphing over Leeds in the Sky Bet Championship play-off final at Wembley to secure promotion.

Post-promotion, the team struggled, amassing just two league wins and earning a mere five points from 16 games before deciding to let go of Martin after a disheartening 5-0 loss to Tottenham at home on December 15.

The Saints also earned a point in a stalemate at Fulham while interim manager Simon Rusk was at the helm a match that Juric, the former coach of sides including Genoa, Torino, and Roma, witnessed from the stands.

Southampton are reportedly eyeing a move for 35 year old Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Rohl, who has previous ties with the club having worked under ex-boss Ralph Hasenhuttl.

The Saints, still needing two more points to surpass Derby's infamous record low tally, face another challenging fixture this Saturday as they host in-form Aston Villa amid their ongoing dismal season.

Their battle continues with upcoming matches against West Ham, Fulham, Leicester, Manchester City, Everton and Arsenal before they inevitably descend back into the Championship.