Exclusive: Don Goodman reacts to Southampton FC, David Wagner update - concern raised | OneFootball

Don Goodman has reservations over Southampton's reported interest in former Huddersfield Town boss David Wagner.

Southampton are on the hunt for a new permanent manager as they prepare to return to the Championship next season.

The Saints have four games remaining to pick up the one point they need to avoid matching Derby County's record for the least points in a Premier League season, before the club's attention will be entirely focused on the 2025/26 Championship campaign.

Russell Martin and Ivan Juric both parted company with Southampton over the course of the season, with the latter having departed after relegation was confirmed earlier this month, so interim manager Simon Rusk is in charge for the remainder of the campaign.

Therefore, the club is searching for a new permanent boss who can mount a promotion push in the second tier next term, and former Huddersfield Town and Norwich City head coach David Wagner has emerged as a candidate for the role, as per Talksport.

Don Goodman fears Southampton fans would be underwhelmed by Wagner

Sky Sports pundit, Don Goodman, spoke exclusively to Football League World about Southampton's reported interest in Wagner, and while he admitted the German has done well in the Championship before, he fears the Saints' supporters may be left feeling underwhelmed by that appointment.

"I should imagine the Southampton job is going to be quite an attractive one, really," Goodman said.

"They would hope to attract quite a high-profile manager. David Wagner - you cannot argue with what he did at Huddersfield Town in the Championship, and when you reflect, and you look at Norwich's really disappointing season this season, the fact that he was able to get them into the play-offs last season suggests that he did a decent job.

"Having said all that, I do not think the Norwich fans were overly enamoured with the style of play, and I certainly think that the Southampton fans would probably be slightly underwhelmed.

"However, you can't argue with his record - that is for sure."

Southampton want to take time over appointment

It would be no surprise if Wagner, who guided Huddersfield to promotion from the Championship via the play-offs in 2017 and achieved a top-six finish with Norwich last season, welcomed the opportunity to take over at St Mary's if the job was offered to him.

However, there are reportedly several other contenders for the role, including Sheffield Wednesday head coach Danny Rohl and Coventry City boss Frank Lampard, while the club is also said to have spoken with Lens manager Will Still and former Manchester United coach, Eric Ramsay, who is currently in the hotseat at Minnesota United in the MLS.

Southampton want to take their time over the appointment to ensure they find the right man for the job, which is understandable, as the successful candidate will need to instill a winning mentality into a squad of players that has become accustomed to losing this season.

There could well be further interest in the Southampton job as the summer goes on, but if the Saints do decide to appoint Wagner, it will be interesting to see the reaction, as Don Goodman has reservations over whether that would be a popular decision with the fanbase.