Ruben Selles has signed a deal to become Southampton manager until the end of the season, the club has confirmed.
The Spaniard was put in charge of the struggling Premier League outfit after the sacking of Nathan Jones earlier this month – and has impressed during his brief stint as interim boss, winning 1-0 against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last weekend.
Southampton confirmed he would be taking over permanently in a statement on Friday, a day ahead of their crucial six-point clash against relegation rivals Leeds at Elland Road.
‘Saints FC can today confirm that Ruben Selles has been appointed as Men’s First Team Manager until the end of the 2022/23 season,’ the club said on Twitter.
Selles, who was a well-respected assistant to Ralph Hasenhuttl, made no secret of his desire to take over Saints permanently last week, urging that he had been waiting in the wings for several years, confident in his ability as a future first-team boss.
Ruben Selles ‘has signed a deal to become Southampton manager until the end of the season’
The Spaniard marshalled Southampton to an impressive 1-0 win at Chelsea as interim manager
In November, he briefly stepped into the hot seat after Southampton sacked Hasenhuttl, taking charge for one game before Jones was appointed.
During his pre-match press conference ahead the shock win at Chelsea, Selles insisted: ‘I want to be the manager. I think I’m as capable of doing that as any other, but it’s not my decision.
‘I have the team now and we are really working hard to do our best. Those are my skills.’
Southampton fans quickly witnessed Selles support his claims as James Ward-Prowse helped fire Saints to a narrow victory at Stamford Bridge, lifting the rock-bottom club to within three points of safety.
After a lengthy period of misery at the foot of the Premier League, Southampton will hope Selles can reignite positivity amongst the fans and clear the dark cloud of hopelessness that has surrounded St Mary’s for much of this season.
The 39-year-old, who started his career as a fitness coach at Greek outfit Aris Thessaloniki in 2008, plied his trade as a coach and assistant at European clubs including FC Copenhagen, Valencia, and Qarabag.
Southampton will hope Selles can reignite positivity amongst the fans and inspire the players
Nathan Jones became the second Southampton manager this season to lose his job at the club
Selles undertook his UEFA Pro License at the age of 25 and gained valuable managerial experience as head coach of Valencia’s under-18s in 2020.
Despite his historic win at Stamford Bridge, Selles has plenty to do to help Southampton avoid relegation back to the Championship.
Saints have lost 15 of their 23 league matches so far this season and are thus in pole position to go down, entrenched in a relegation scrap alongside Leeds, West Ham, Bournemouth and Everton.
Wolves, Leicester, Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace could also be drawn into the relegation picture, with only eight points separating Southampton from 12th place in the league.
Leeds, who sacked Jesse Marsch at the start of February, finally appointed Javi Gracia as their new manager on Tuesday.
As a result, Elland Road will host a battle between the new permanent bosses on Saturday, with both clubs in desperate need of three points.
Talks with initial target and ex-Leeds boss Jesse Marsch broke down before Saints hired Selles
A win for Southampton would launch the club off bottom spot for the first time in 2023.
Saints initially looked to appoint Marsch following his exit from Elland Road, but talks with the American broke down as they were unable to reach an agreement over the terms of a contract.
Following the must-win game at Leeds, Selles faces Grimsby Town in the FA Cup fifth round before Premier League clashes with Leicester, Manchester United, Brentford and Tottenham.
Should Southampton pull of a great escape and win Premier League survival, the club would remain in the top flight for an 11th successive season.
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