Southampton are keen to replace Mark Hughes with Ralph Hasenhuttl, according to reports, as they look to push their way up the Premier League table.

Hughes’ sacking was inevitable. The Welshman oversaw only three league wins during his tenure at the club and just one of these came this season.

The Welshman did his job well last term and was able to help stabilise the Saints following Mauricio Pellegrino’s disastrous maiden campaign in English football.

However, the 2018/19 season has depicted little improvement and the only surprise surrounding Hughes’ departure is just how long it took Southampton’s board to relieve him of his duties.

The Saints are at risk of falling into the vicious cycle of appointing journeymen managers, the Premier League’s alleged firefighters who closely watch on as clubs languish down the bottom midway through seasons. The likes of David Moyes and Sam Allardyce have been touted as replacements for Hughes.

Christopher Lee/Getty Images Sport

Despite this, encouragement has rightly been taken from reports indicating that former RB Leipzig boss Hasenhuttl is the preferred candidate for the club’s hierarchy.

The Austrian has developed a strong reputation following his most impressive work while in charge at the Red Bull Arena.

Hasenhuttl’s managerial career has been on something of an upwards trajectory for several years now. During his time with VfR Aalen, he led the club from their struggles in the third tier of German football to promotion to 2. Bundesliga before consolidating their place in the division in the following season.

The manager’s work did not go unnoticed, either, and FC Ingolstadt opted to appoint the promising coach in 2013 following his exit from Aalen. He achieved similar feats with his new club, leading them from the foot of the 2. Bundesliga to a strong mid-table finish before then overseeing their promotion to the top-flight in his first full season at the Audi Sportpark.

Hasenhuttl saw his contract at Ingolstadt come to an end following his debut season in the Bundesliga, in which an 11th-place finish was secured by the lowly club from Bavaria.

Octavio Passos/Getty Images Sport

A new challenge and a new dawn then presented itself. RB Leipzig, full of ambition and optimistic following their promotion to the top-flight, approached the former Austria international and appointed him as their new head coach.

Leipzig boasted a perfect balance within their squad, a youthful exuberance married with composed heads in key areas of the pitch. With Hasenhuttl, a gifted coach and meticulous tactician, at the helm, a promising season appeared to be on the cards.

No-one would have quite predicted what was to come in 2016/17, however. Hasenhuttl led Leipzig to a miraculous campaign in which they finished second in the Bundesliga, three points ahead of Borussia Dortmund in third place.

Die Bullen captured the minds of the regular football fan, even if the morality and methodologies behind the club did not do so with the hearts of many. This was largely down to Hasenhuttl and his quintessential approach to German football; Leipzig were aggressive in and out of possession, played high up the pitch and counter-attacked with drive and urgency.

The likes of Timo Werner and now Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita were at the forefront of the team’s success, but the underrated genius of Emil Forsberg was utilised by Hasenhuttl as he blended creativity with raw pace and energy.

Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images Sport

In the following season, Leipzig continued to impress but no longer found themselves challenging for the Bundesliga title. Hasenhuttl’s side continued to show signs of quality and were progressive in their play, but struggled to perform with the same levels of intensity as they juggled European fixtures around their league outings.

Ultimately, Hasenhuttl’s tenure at Leipzig was cut short at the end of last season following a mutual agreement, with Ralf Rangnick then returning to his duties as the club’s manager. The German had been occupying the role of sporting director, with former Southampton talent-spotter Paul Mitchell also working behind the scenes.

A new test in the Premier League may now present itself to the 51-year-old, with Southampton evidently pushing to secure his services.

Hasenhuttl’s tactical approach, on paper, could remedy a lot of the club’s current problems. Under Claude Puel, Pellegrino and Hughes, the team have played with little urgency and little desire to press as a unit. This has never been the case with a team under the stewardship of the Austrian.

Leipzig utilised wide spaces well and broke away at pace. They placed emphasis on defending as a team and attacking as a team, with Hasenhuttl implementing the ever-impressive gegenpressing style that has been employed by Jurgen Klopp at Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool in recent years.

Jan Kruger/Getty Images Sport

This relates to the process by which when the ball is surrendered, particularly in the opposing half, several players move to cut off passing lanes on offer to the ball carrier and intensely look to retrieve possession in dangerous areas. Counter-pressing such as this has helped the likes of Liverpool under Klopp to take advantage of disorganisation in opposition back-lines, allowing their forward players chances to convert.

Hasenhuttl is no stranger to the Reds boss, either. The former Leipzig manager studied his coaching badges alongside the German and believes that his style is similar to that of the 51-year-old.

I think we appreciate a similar philosophy on football – we want to play a high tempo game, we want our guys to sprint around, press well and these are elements which make the game livelier and varied and get people excited.

Hasenhuttl has a knack of extracting as much from his group of players as possible. Southampton’s ownership do not appear to be intent on investing in the squad in the January transfer window, so it seems the next manager will need to work with what they have got until the summer at least.

At Leipzig, the ex-Koln player was blessed with a strong infrastructure and financial power. However, he has previously worked within less economically generous environments and has led the likes of Aalen and Ingolstadt to success courtesy of his man-management skills and tactical nous.

The next appointment for Southampton must be a perfect one. With the team rudderless and optimism escaping the supporters, it seems few would encapsulate the St Mary’s faithful more than Hasenhuttl at this moment.