Southampton could not have endured a worst return to the Premier League.
They suffered relegation to the EFL Championship after the conclusion of the 2022/23 season.
However, after just a season they were back in England’s top flight of domestic football.
In the Championship playoff final, they beat Leeds United 1-0 at Wembley thanks to a goal from Adam Armstrong.
Southampton were favourites to go down at the start of this season.
The attacking style of play from Russell Martin was seen as risky after Burnley’s relegation under Vincent Kompany.
Noone predicted them to survive, but they were not expected to perform as badly as they have.
With just one game left, they have a tally of 12 points.
This is just one clear of the all-time lowest points total in Premier League history.
Such a record was set by Derby County in the 2007/08 season, amassing just 11 points.
Until April 19th, Southampton had the lowest points total in Premier League history.
Draws against West Ham and Manchester City saved them from the embarrassment of having the all-time lowest points total.
Regardless, it has still been a season that no Southampton fan will want to remember.
Three managers tried to change the club’s fortunes around this season.
Russell Martin, Simon Rusk, Ivan Jurić all tried, but none of them doing so with any success.
The managerial vacancy at Southampton has been open, leading to speculation as to who will be appointed for next season.
It appears that the club have found their next manager in their attempts to return to England’s top flight.
It has been announced by journalist Fabrizio Romano that Will Still has signed a contract as Southampton manager.
An official announcement is said to take place this weekend.
Still is set to sign a contract that runs until 2028.
He returns to England after a successful spell in France.
He gained notoriety after stating that the Football Manager and Championship Manager video games helped him decide to coach rather than play football.
Still joined French side Reims as an assistant before becoming their caretaker manager following the sacking of Óscar García.
He became the youngest manager in Europe’s top five leagues at the age of 30.
Due to not holding a UEFA Pro License, Still was fined €25,000 for each game he managed without one.
Still and Reims embarked on a 14-game unbeaten run to start his tenure in charge, further rising his stock as a football manager.
He would leave Reims in 2024 and after a year with Lens, he left the club, citing personal reasons.
He now appears set for his first crack at English football, something that has been rumoured for some time.
🚨🔴⚪️ Will Still has signed his contract as new Southampton manager, agreement sealed.
Official announcement this weekend for Still to be unveiled as new Saints FC head coach on three year deal.
Contract until June 2028, as @mcgrathmike reports. Done. 🏁 pic.twitter.com/OprNtn0JR0
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 24, 2025
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