Exclusive: David Prutton predicts Danny Rohl blow for Sheffield Wednesday amid new Southampton FC claims | OneFootball

David Prutton believes Southampton could reignite their interest in Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Rohl in the summer.

Pundit David Prutton believes Southampton could reignite their interest in Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Rohl in the summer.

Rohl has previously spent time at Southampton as assistant to Ralph Hasenhuttl, and he was linked with a return to St Mary's as manager in December following the sacking of Russell Martin, but the Premier League side were reluctant to pay the £5 million fee needed to release the German from his contract at Hillsborough.

The Saints eventually appointed Ivan Juric as Martin's replacement, but Rohl was said to be unhappy that he was denied a move to the South Coast, and he subsequently became embroiled in a public dispute with Wednesday owner Dejphon Chansiri.

Rohl and Chansiri have now resolved their differences, but speculation over his future has continued, and according to The Sun, with relegation to the Championship looking inevitable, Southampton have made Rohl their top target to replace Juric in the summer.

The Saints would reportedly be able to pay a lower compensation fee to land Rohl as a Championship club, and the 35-year-old also worked with the club's new technical director, Johannes Spors, during his time at RB Leipzig.

Rohl has been in charge of the Owls since October 2023, and after inspiring a remarkable turnaround to keep the club in the second tier last season, his side currently sit 13th in the table, seven points from the play-off places.

David Prutton issues Danny Rohl, Southampton prediction

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, David Prutton admitted he could see Rohl making the move to Southampton in the summer, and he believes the opportunity to work in a more stable environment and with a better squad could be tempting for the Wednesday manager.

"Danny Rohl is doing sterling work at Sheffield Wednesday in the face of the politics that he's had to deal with," Prutton said.

"The owner and the manager were seemingly on different pages in January, but diplomatically, they've managed to move through that as a club to still give themselves an outside chance of the play-offs.

"Of course, there's a lot of traffic between themselves and finishing in the top six, and it feels like they are one of several teams battling for just two spots given the points accrual of Burnley and Sunderland.

"I've been very impressed with what he's done. It's been a steady upward trajectory after coming in and seeing how poor Wednesday were and what a perilous position they were in.

"They made a sluggish start to this season, but they've managed to motor their way through that.

"As for Southampton, they made a managerial change which categorically hasn't worked.

"Whether Russell Martin would have been the man to carry on and create an unlikely survival bid. That's a hypothetical for the ages. We'll never know the answer to that.

"But given what Ivan Juric has done - or hasn't done - since taking over at Southampton, they potentially are, without sounding too defeatist, looking at a rebuilding job in the Championship.

"I think Danny Rohl, given his history of experience and know-how at football clubs in certain parts of the country, is potentially someone that can go in there and step in and create a feel-good factor with his ability to bring people together.

"As I said, he's worked in testing times with the ownership model at Sheffield Wednesday, and you would think that, seemingly, it would be a bit more straight forward at Southampton.

"Southampton would be tooled up to head back up to the Premier League at the first time of asking, and with the way he puts a team together, it's a good and intense way to watch football.

"With the greatest respect to both sets of players, potentially he would have a better set of players to go at with his distinctive brand of football with Southampton.

"I could see it as a likely option, and I think the fact that it's already been mooted in the past suggests that there is something there to discuss in the weeks and months to come.

"You know for a fact that Sheffield Wednesday fans would want to fight tooth and nail to keep him there, but the ownership might be slightly different with that.

"Maybe the compensation and being able to get a serious bang for their buck if their manager was to move on would be something that may come into that.

"But Danny Rohl, whether that is with Southampton or Sheffield Wednesday, is very much a manager on an upward trajectory who is destined for higher levels than the Championship."

Danny Rohl, Southampton move is looking increasingly inevitable

While Rohl and Chansiri seem to have buried the hatchet, many Wednesday supporters fear that the relationship between the duo may be damaged beyond repair.

Rohl is reportedly keen to reduce the compensation fee in his contract, suggesting that he is open to the possibility of leaving Hillsborough, and as Prutton says, with Juric's long-term future at St Mary's looking in serious doubt, it would be no surprise to see Southampton reignite their interest in Rohl in the summer.

With reports emerging this week that Rohl is the Saints' top summer target, it feels increasingly likely that he will be returning to the South Coast outfit, and his exit would anger sections of the Owls' fan base who are already frustrated with Chansiri.