USMNT coach Jurgen Klinsmann emerges as favorite for Southampton coaching job
Jurgen Klinsmann was installed as the odds-on favorite to become the head coach of English Premier League soccer team Southampton on Thursday, casting some doubt over his future in charge of the United States national team.
London bookmakers were thrown into a panic by a “massive” flurry of wagers on Klinsmann to replace former boss Ronald Koeman, who accepted a contract from EPL rival Everton last week.
As of Thursday morning, Klinsmann was generally priced at 1-to-3 odds, having been available at 40-to-1 earlier in the week.
Klinsmann has been in charge of the U.S. program since 2011 and this week took the team to the semifinals of the Copa America, where it was defeated 4-0 by Argentina.
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“There was a massive and sudden move in the betting market odds for Klinsmann,” Alex Donohue, spokesman for gambling firm Ladbrokes, told USA TODAY Sports. “All signs point to bettors expecting an announcement and some news very soon.”
Southampton’s media relations office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from USA TODAY Sports.
British betting analysis company smartbets.com revealed that in the past 48 hours, 95% of all bets of the new Southampton coach market had been placed on Klinsmann.
The vast majority of those were from the region around the south coast of England, where Southampton is located. Donohue said that factor, plus the fact that bettors were prepared to gamble even at very short odds, was telling.
“Usually you don’t risk your money for a limited return unless you are very sure of something,” he added.
It was expected that if the high proportion of bets for Klinsmann continued, the bookmakers would suspend the market to protect themselves against further liability.
Alan Alger, of betting company Betway, said the wave of support for Klinsmann had come as a “shock” and was “drastic” compared to similar previous situations.
However, Alger noted that despite some criticism for his achievements with the U.S., the German’s reputation in England was still high following his successful playing stint with Tottenham in the mid-1990s. Klinsmann “looks destined to be back in the Premier League very soon,” Alger said.
The London betting lines have been correct often enough that they cannot be ignored. When Sven Goran Eriksson was named as England national team head coach in 2001, there was a huge surge of betting supporting him in the hours leading up to the announcement.
Sometimes though, such action on the betting market is unreliable. Following the 2010 World Cup, then-U.S. head coach Bob Bradley was installed as the odds-on favorite to take charge at Aston Villa.
However, the position went to Frenchman Gerard Houllier, with Villa officials later claiming Bradley had never been in serious contention.
It would seem odd for Klinsmann to leave his U.S. position at this juncture – the midway point between World Cups, with the next one, in Russia in two years.
After the Americans lost their Copa America opener to Colombia on June 3, U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati refused to guarantee that Klinsmann would remain in charge. At that point it seemed likely he would be fired if the team failed to progress from the group stage.
Yet a spirited revival followed, with victories over Costa Rica and Paraguay to win Group A, and a quarterfinal victory over Ecuador – before world No. 1 and World Cup finalist Argentina proved far too strong.
Gulati had no comment on the matter on Thursday morning when reached by USA TODAY Sports.
Conspiracy theorists do have some fodder for their speculation. A luxury home owned by Klinsmann in Newport Beach, Calif., has been up for sale for $2.4 million since the middle of March, although it is understood that the coach did not live there himself.
He would also be likely to greatly increase his salary with Southampton. Klinsmann received $3.2 million in 2014, according to records disclosed by U.S. Soccer.
Koeman, the former Southampton boss, was making $3.72 million, according to several news media reports, when he departed for Everton, where he nearly tripled his salary.
Given the influx of money streaming into Premier League teams thanks to the league’s various lucrative global television contracts, Southampton may need to pay $5 million or to get an elite level coach, whether it be Klinsmann or someone else.
Former Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini and Claude Puel, the former coach of French club Nice, have also been linked with the position.
According to the Southampton Daily Echo, the club wants the matter resolved by July 4, when its squad returns from summer break and begins pre-season training.
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