West Brom: Potential Carlos Corberan, Southampton agreement would make little sense

West Brom: Potential Carlos Corberan, Southampton agreement would make little sense

After defeating Leeds United in late May, it was evident that the Premier League would be a significant step up for the Saints and Martin, who have struggled in the league above.

Despite attempting to introduce possession-based football, the former Swansea City manager only managed to earn five points in 16 Premier League games. This has resulted in only 11 goals and 36 conceded, with the 5-0 home defeat to Tottenham Hotspur serving as a watershed moment in his reign.

According to Football Insider, Carlos Corberan is the front-runner to replace Martin in the dugout.

After 26 months in charge of West Bromwich Albion, the 41-year-old has achieved remarkable success while facing challenges.

Last season, he led Albion to fifth place before losing to Martin’s Southampton in the play-off semi-finals.

However, despite his impressive qualifications, the Saints position appears to be a poisoned chalice at the moment, and given his different style of play, the Spaniard’s transfer south makes little sense.

Corberan clearly deserves a chance in the Premier League, but the Southampton job isn’t looking promising right now.

The relegation favourites, nine points from safety, have done nothing to demonstrate the tenacity required to survive, with numerous players unable to adjust to life in the top tier.

While the aforementioned league table is one aspect, the underlying statistics offer an even more bleak image, with Southampton failing on both ends of the ball.

The team has the worst expected goals (xG) conceded and errors resulting to goals in the division. They can only compensate by averaging 1.07 expected goals scored per game. With only 11 goals scored, their conversion rate is 6.4%, resulting in one goal per 15.6 shots.

This can be attributed in part to Martin, but the players have not performed at the required level, and it would be a miracle if they survived this season.

As a result, it makes little sense for Corberan to leave The Hawthorns, as many believe West Brom are more likely to gain promotion to the Premier League than Southampton are to survive.

During his time at Southampton, Martin was heavily criticised for his inability to adjust to the higher level of play, with his club plainly unable to implement their possession-based style against Tottenham and Chelsea.

These concerns were clearly frustrating for the former leader, but this modern approach left an impact on the players that will be tough to remove. As a result, appointing a head coach with similar characteristics to Martin makes sense.