Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Rohl is attracting interest from managerless Southampton.
According to Florian Plettenberg, the Saints are in negotiations with the German coach about perhaps taking over at St. Mary’s, with Teamtalk also reporting that he is open to a move amid optimism that a deal can be reached with the Owls.
The Premier League club is looking for a replacement for Russell Martin, who was fired over the weekend after the team’s 5-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur.
Rohl has been in charge of Sheffield Wednesday since October 2023, and the squad currently ranks ninth in the Championship table.
| Danny Rohl’s Sheffield Wednesday record – as of Dec. 17th (all competitions as per Transfermarkt) | ||||
| Games | Wins | Draws | Losses | W% |
| 63 | 27 | 12 | 24 | 42.86 |
Danny Rohl Sheffield Wednesday exit verdict
Palmer believes losing Rohl would be a huge blow for Sheffield Wednesday, given the outstanding work he has done at the club in the last year.
He claims Rohl has restored optimism to the club after taking charge when the team was dead and buried in the relegation zone.
“There are a lot of rumours circulating about Danny Rohl,” Palmer told Football League World.
“Obviously he’s done a wonderful job at Sheffield Wednesday; there’s no denying that. Sheffield Wednesday were down and out last season.
“And he did an excellent job of keeping them up.
“They are now ninth in the table, which is a tremendous achievement in the Championship; they have 29 points and are only five points away from a play-off spot.
“But speculations are circulating, and will continue to do so while Danny Rohl does his job, that he has been linked with the Southampton position following Russell Martin’s dismissal.
“So Sheffield Wednesday are concerned that they will lose Danny Rohl and Shea Charles, who is on loan from Southampton and doing an excellent job.
“Obviously, I believe, if I am accurate, that Mr Chansiri included a £5 million clause if any team wished to sign Danny Rohl.
“He’s come in, boosted the club, and instilled optimism.
“Like I said, if they stayed in the league and ended above halfway this season, it would be a solid foundation for them to build on; now he has them within five points of the play-offs.
“about course, supporters are beginning to dream about a play-off spot.
“It would be a huge loss to Sheffield Wednesday if Danny Rohl was to depart.”
Palmer has told Rohl that if he takes over at Southampton in place of Martin, he will face a difficult assignment. Martin was criticized for failing to adapt to his players.
“I’m a big fan of Russell Martin, but you can’t continue to do what he did, one win in 16 games, you have to change,” he tweeted.
“If you don’t have the players to play the way you want, despite your convictions, you must adapt.
“Until you have players in the football club who can play the system that you want, you have to adapt, and Russell Martin stuck to his guns, therefore they had to remove him from the football club.
“It will be a tough task for Danny Rohl [at Southampton].
“They’re at the bottom of the league with five points, a bad goal difference, and it would take a turnaround for whoever took over at Southampton to bring them out of this position.
“Wolves have also fired their manager, so you’d expect an improvement in their fortunes; Ipswich Town are at the bottom, but they’ve been in every game they’ve played; they’ve rarely been outplayed in the Premier League; and Leicester are down there.
“It would be a dogfight until the end of the season, but this would be bad news for Sheffield Wednesday to lose Danny Rohl.”
Southampton are in a similar place to Sheffield Wednesday of last season
Southampton appear lost at the bottom of the Premier League table, much like Sheffield Wednesday did when Rohl arrived last year.
Given these similarities, it’s no wonder that the Saints are interested in the German, who led the Owls to safety last season.
The promotion to the Premier League will put his coaching talents to the test, but his experience with the Yorkshire club will be important if he takes over at Southampton.
It’s difficult to envisage the Saints remaining up regardless of who they appoint, but Rohl may be the strongest viable option for the position, much to Sheffield Wednesday’s disappointment.
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