Mauricio Pellegrino has agreed a three-year contract with Southampton and will arrive at St Mary's next week to prepare for the new season.
• Pellegrino left Alavés in May after reaching the Copa del Rey final
• Argentinian coached at Liverpool under Rafael Benítez
Mauricio Pellegrino has expressed his excitement after being appointed Southampton’s new manager and the Argentinian is confident his way of working will help the club be successful.
Pellegrino has signed a three-year contract at St Mary’s having been confirmed as Claude Puel’s successor on Friday. Puel was sacked after guiding Southampton to the EFL Cup final and eighth in the Premier League. Pellegrino chose to leave Alavés in May after a campaign with similarities to Southampton’s: he led the Spanish club to the Copa del Rey final and ninth place in his only season.
“I am really happy to become the new coach of Southampton Football Club. The club has a great reputation for having a strong and stable structure, competing in the Premier League and playing attractive football,” said the former Argentina centre-back, who has previously been in charge of Valencia, Independiente and Estudiantes, and coached under Rafael Benítez at Liverpool and, later, Internazionale.
“I think my philosophy and the culture of the club will work well together. We have to be a team on and off the pitch; I want to make the supporters proud of the players and to feel part of the game every week. I want to win matches, be successful and develop a team spirit where everyone gives 100 per cent and supports each other.
“I am excited and passionate about what the future holds for us and look forward to meeting the players and beginning our preparation for the new season.”
The 45-year-old was also under consideration by Crystal Palace before they offered the job to Frank de Boer, the Dutchman who is expected to be confirmed as Sam Allardyce’s successor at Selhurst Park next week.
Southampton’s vice-chairman Les Reed said: “We had an impressive list of candidates and went through a comprehensive interview process. Mauricio impressed us throughout with his depth of knowledge, motivation and ability, communicating this in a professional and passionate way. He has an excellent understanding of the Southampton way, and his style of play and aspiration matches the philosophy, culture and ambition of the club.
“We firmly believe Mauricio is the right person to help us take the next steps. He knows our current players and believes we have a great squad that with some fine-tuning will be able to deliver continued success.
“Mauricio believes with the quality we have we can play exciting, attacking football, taking the game to our opponents by playing a high-intensity game. He will continue to develop and introduce young players whilst building on the core of experience that we have in the existing squad.”
Among Pellegrino’s challenges at Southampton will be to determine the future of the defender Virgil van Dijk, who is coveted by Chelsea and was targeted by Liverpool until they withdrew their interest amid tapping-up claims earlier this month.
In that regard it is perhaps noteworthy that as well as assisting Benítez at Liverpool, Pellegrino played under the Spaniard there during a brief spell in 2005. Given that link, officials at the Merseyside club may feel emboldened enough to approach Southampton about completing a move for Van Dijk.
That is unlikely to happen any time soon, however, given the Premier League is awaiting observations from Southampton and Liverpool before determining whether it should open a tapping-up investigation into the latter’s conduct. Southampton have also been insistent that Van Dijk will not be sold during the current transfer window.
Pellegrino, who also played for Vélez Sarsfield and Valencia, and had a brief spell at Alavés prior to taking over there in 2016, will join up with Southampton next week. His first competitive match in charge comes against Swansea City at St Mary’s on the opening day of the new Premier League season – Saturday 12 August.
Guardian
