Southampton have confirmed the appointment of Ivan Juric on an 18-month contract.
The Saints are bottom of the Premier League table with five points after 16 games, leaving them nine points from safety.
“I’m very pleased. I think it’s a really big challenge but I’m very optimistic because I saw a team that can do better,” Juric said.
“It’s important to immediately be connected with the fans. I want an aggressive team and I think that fans of Southampton will like that.”
The Southampton role marks Juric’s first outside of Italy and he joins just one month after being sacked by Roma – a stint that lasted all of 12 matches.
The Croatian previously managed two sides he used to play for in Crotone and Genoa, while his longest stint was at Torino for three seasons from 2021 to 2024.
Southampton meanwhile dismissed Russell Martin last Sunday after their 5-0 defeat at home to Tottenham.
After weeks of discontent on the south coast, the sacking was viewed as perhaps a little too late for the Saints’ survival prospects.
Any hope of a new manager bounce would still leave them in the relegation zone in the short term, and they are guaranteed to be bottom at Christmas given they are four points behind 19th-placed Wolves.
Southampton travel to Fulham on Sunday, and should they lose, their total of five points would be the joint-second lowest of any side at Christmas in the Premier League era – level with Sunderland in 2005-06, while only Sheffield United in 2020-21 had fewer (2).
Nevertheless, Southampton have said Juric arrives with a reputation for “helping his teams punch above their weight”.
That will be necessary for Southampton to have any chance of staying up, with the club saying he was able to “outperform his resources” at Torino.
There Juric moved the Serie A club away from relegation battles, finishing 10th twice and then ninth in his three seasons in charge.
That at enough to attract Roma, but an ill-fated spell followed, with Juric sacked after four wins in 12. He departed after a 3-2 home defeat to Bologna left Roma 12th in the table.
