Southampton legend James Beattie has urged his former club to hand manager Ralph Hasenhuttl a new contract.
Beattie says that it is important that the club tie Hasenhuttl down to a long-term deal in order to avoid him leaving the club upon the expiry of his contract next year.
Speaking to the Daily Echo regarding Hasenhuttl’s contract, Beattie said:
It would be important.
You only need to look at Brighton. Graham had a decent start to the season and, as we’ve seen in the past, managers are assets now.
They tie the players down to long-term contracts, so they can’t walk out of the club for free, so I think it will be prudent for the club to do the same with the manager.
They might be in talks already I would have thought.
Hasenhuttl’s current contract expires at the end of next season. This means that Southampton need to pin him down to an extension if they want him to be managing the club beyond the 2020/21 campaign.
If Southampton want to progress as a club then they could need a long-term plan to follow and stick to over the years.
A crucial part of this plan could be Hasenhuttl, acting as the consistent central figure – using his play style and philosophy as the base for every decision and signing made going forward.
Tying the manager down to a new deal can help Southampton build a squad perfectly suited to him, allowing the Saints to thrive as a team. If they can do this, then they could begin to challenge for the European places and really cement their place as a top 10 side who have the ability to challenge for the top six.
