‘Time has come’ for manager to take Southampton job – ‘More and more highly valued’ by Saints board

Rubén Sellés is ready for the step up as Southampton’s permanent manager and the ‘time has come’ for him take up the position.

That’s according to AS, who profile the Spanish boss today following Southampton’s impressive win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Sellés is currently in interim charge of Southampton following the sacking of Nathan Jones and the failure to reach an agreement with Jesse Marsch, who was believed to be among the favourites for the position despite his struggles with Leeds.

That left Sellés in charge for the trip to Chelsea over the weekend, a game the Saints were predicted to struggle in but instead came away from with three valuable points thanks to James Ward-Prowse’s latest stunning free-kick.

That came from a significantly improved performance from Southampton, with Sellés taking plenty of the plaudits afterwards and reports in England stating Saints’ players want him to take the job permanently.

One man who knows him well is Óscar Fernández, who worked alongside Sellés during his time in Greece.

“Rubén is a brave guy, very qualified, with many skills, who knows how to manage groups, who has lived adventures, and who took a risk to fulfil a dream and try to reach the elite,” he told AS.

He is very much of the belief that Sellés is ready for a big job and AS agree, stating that the win over Chelsea means he can be ‘considered to be very close to the elite’. At the least it was an important ‘litmus test’ that he passed.

They say Sellés has already taken the first step and now is the time for those in charge at Southampton to ‘play their cards’ as well.

As far as they are concerned the Saints may have, ‘almost without realising it’, found the solution to ‘many of their woes’ in their own backyard.

According to them, Sellés own admission that he is a coach already close to the principles in place at Southampton works in his favour and is why his continuity is becoming ‘more and more highly valued’ by those in charge.

Whether that happens remains to be seen but the win over Chelsea was a ‘great foundation’ on which to build the new Southampton.

Indeed, it could prove to be a ‘turning point’ and for Sellés, at least, the ‘time has come’ for him to take the next step in his career.