Ralph Krueger appointed as Saints Chairman

Following the exit of Nicola Cortese from Southampton, owner Katarina Liebherr has appointed Ralph Kreuger as Chairman of the South Coast club. Krueger has never worked in football before, but says that Southampton have 'huge untapped potential'.

"This club is known as a family club," explained 54-year-old Krueger. "There is a friendly atmosphere here, and a positive soul. We will build on the excellent platforms here to ensure that Southampton continues to grow as a football club and also as a healthy business."

Owner Katarina Liebherr and newly-appointed Chairman Ralph Kreuger

Speculation persists that manager Mauricio Pochettino could leave the club, due to his close links with former chairman Nicola Cortese, who quit the club last week due to disagreements with the board and the owner. It remains to be seen whether Pochettino will stay under the new management, or take his career elsewhere.

Pochettino leaves Southampton

Mauricio Pochettino has stepped down from his position as Southampton manager just days after new chairmain, Ralph Krueger, was appointed. Pochettino faced the media inside St. Mary's stadium this morning.

Former Southampton manager, Mauricio Pochettino

"I would like to say thank you to the fans of the club. I am very sorry, but I do not feel I can continue to work here under the circumstances the club finds itself in. I was brought in by Nicola Cortese, and I enjoyed working with him. We shared the same ambitions for Southampton. My time here has been good, but I believe that stepping down is the best thing for me."

Ralph Kreuger spoke to BBC Sport in a press conference held inside St. Mary's this afternoon.

"One thing I would like to bring to this club is freedom of information. The fans deserve to know what is going on, because without them, we wouldn't have a club at all. We would like to inform the supporters that Mauricio left by mutual consent, and we wish him all the very best for the future. We would also like to assure the fans that a new manager will be in place very shortly, although we will do everything we can to ensure that they are the right person for the job."

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