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It has been quite a month for American manager Jesse Marsch. After being dismissed from Leeds United for poor performances after the team backed him in the January transfer window, he's now reportedly on the verge of being appointed as the new manager of Southampton after the club dismissed Nathan Jones, their second manager to take the helm this campaign. Mired at the bottom of the Premier League after a shock loss to a 10 man Wolverhampton side, Southampton is a place where Marsch can add a new entry to his CV -- relegation specialist.

Marsch already kept Leeds United in the league on the final day of the season in 2022 and if he's able to do the same at Southampton, he will always have a place in the Premier League which makes this an enticing opportunity for him. Despite the team winning only one Premier League game under Jones, there is talent for them to bounce back, especially after a January transfer window that saw the team strengthen in key attacking areas.

The club has their eyes on Marsch due to his style of pressing which is similar to their first manager this season, Ralph Hasenhuttl who spent time in the Red Bull system like Marsch. It could be an admission that the club perhaps was wrong to think Hasenhuttl's style had run its course, but only four points from safety, there is plenty of time for Southampton to rise above the red line. For Marsch, this would also come with a chance to relegate his former club Leeds United who sit just above the relegation zone currently.

With the state of Southampton, this is a low risk move for Marsch as if he doesn't keep them in the league, he can point at the fact that he'd now be their third manager of the season and that he only had 16 or so matches to turn around their form. But it's a critical appointment for Southampton. Even with the missteps from their board, it speaks volumes that they consider Marsch to be their guy even after being dismissed from Leeds United.

One of the top candidates for the United States men's national team job, Marsch moving to Southampton could alter the federation's approach in choosing a new manager. Domestically, Jim Curtin and Brian Schmetzer are still excellent options but if they'd prefer someone with a European pedigree, that can only be accomplished by looking abroad or trying to pull Pellegrino Matarazzo from his new job at Hoffenheim.

There is also the chance that the United States could entice Marsch if Southampton is relegated from the Premier League but that would also mean that they'd need to wait almost until the summer before appointing someone. Given the timeline around also choosing a sporting director and the ongoing investigations around the federation, that isn't particularly an issue but it also isn't a timeline that Marsch could wait for if a Premier League job is calling.

It's a perfect situation for him as the fallback of the United States will always be ther for him. Why not take another crack at keeping a team in the league and see if he can push his skills even higher.