Sheffield Wednesday: Who is Danny Rohl? The man linked with Southampton FC vacancy

Sheffield Wednesday: Who is Danny Rohl? The man linked with Southampton FC vacancy

After Russell Martin was fired, Southampton is looking for a new manager, and Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Rohl is reportedly one of the contenders to take over at St Mary’s.

In his first season as manager, Martin guided Southampton to promotion from the Championship through the play-offs last season. However, the 39-year-old found life in the Premier League considerably more difficult, and many blamed his team’s difficulties on his inability to change his style of play.

Martin’s nearly 13-month tenure on the South Coast came to an end when the Saints announced they had made the “difficult decision” to split ways with him just hours after Sunday night’s 5-0 home loss to Tottenham Hotspur.

Southampton will play Liverpool in the EFL Cup on Wednesday night, and under-21s manager Simon Rusk will be in charge of the team. However, as Southampton is now at the bottom of the standings and nine points from safety, they will probably want to schedule an appointment as soon as possible.

Shortly after Martin’s dismissal was confirmed, it was claimed that Rohl is one of the names being considered by the Saints hierarchy, and as speculation continues to gather pace about a potential return to St Mary’s, we looked at the 35-year-old’s career so far.

Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Rohl profiled amid Southampton links

Early in his playing career, Rohl played in the German lower levels with FSV Zwickau, FC Sachsen Leipzig II, and FC Eilenburg. However, a knee injury caused him to retire as a youngster.

Rohl, who was still adamant about playing football, continued his studies in sports science and eventually worked as a video analyst for RB Leipzig before becoming a member of the coaching staff.

During his tenure at Leipzig, Rohl collaborated with Ralf Rangnick and Ralph Hasenhuttl. The latter hired Rohl as his assistant when he was appointed manager of Southampton in December 2018.

When Hasenhuttl took over, the Saints were in danger of relegation in the Premier League. However, he guided them to a 16th-place finish in the 2018–19 campaign, and Rohl was crucial to the team’s survival in the top tier.

After leaving St Mary’s in the summer of 2019, Rohl spent two years working as Hansi Flick’s assistant at Bayern Munich, where he helped the German powerhouses win seven trophies, including two Bundesliga titles, the Champions League, the DFB-Pokal, the DFL-Supercup, the UEFA Super Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup.

When Rohl left Bayern to take over as manager of the German national team in the summer of 2021, Flick brought him along, but the move was a failure that featured a humiliating group stage loss at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

After Flick was fired in September 2023, Rohl resigned from his position with Germany. However, he was not out of a job for long, as less than a month later, he was given his first senior managerial position at Sheffield Wednesday, making him the youngest manager in the EFL at just 34 years old.

following a terrible start to the season under his predecessor Xisco Munoz, the Owls were at the bottom of the Championship table with just three points when Rohl took over. However, he was able to lead the team to safety as they finished in 20th position following a spectacular comeback.

Rohl signed a new three-year contract at Hillsborough in May, despite rumours that he was drawing interest from other teams. The team has continued to improve this season, now lying ninth in the table and five points off of the play-off spots.