[ad_pod ]

According to reports in The Mirror, Southampton will sack Mark Hughes if they fail to beat Watford on Saturday with David Moyes and Sam Allardyce the frontrunners to replace him, but Saints should forget them and target Roger Schmidt instead.

What's the word, then?

Well, the south coast outfit's disastrous start to the Premier League campaign got even worse when they were thrashed 6-1 by Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, ramping up the pressure on Hughes.

The Welshman has led his side to just one win in 11 top flight matches so far this term, and has the worst record of any Southampton manager in history that has taken charge of at least 20 games.

The Mirror report that he will be dismissed unless Saints take three points against the Hornets this weekend, with Moyes and Allardyce top of the list to succeed him at St Mary's.

Why should they get Schmidt instead?

The Telegraph reported in the summer of 2017 that Southampton were targeting the German as they looked for a replacement for Claude Puel, with Sky Sports reporting that he came close to agreeing a move to the south coast outfit before eventually opting for a move to the Chinese Super League instead.

[brid autoplay="true" video="327140" player="12034" title="Rafa's Pub Facts Leicester Trump Man City Chelsea & Liverpool"]

However, in the latest report in The Mirror it is suggested that another potential Les Reed target in former Monaco manager Leonardo Jardim is set for the Beijing Guoan role – the one Schmidt is currently in – which suggests the 51-year-old is likely to leave the role imminently.

Schmidt's style of football is known to be aggressive – in terms of pressing – attacking and produces goals, and that is something Saints and their fans are crying out for following a miserable two years or so.