NEW group technical director at Saints, Johannes Spors is already happy to assume ultimate responsibility of all of the club's football decisions.

The 42 year old arrived at St Mary's a month ago and the reality of the club's situation is an impending relegation to the Championship.

However, Spors is confident that, with a refining of the club's football processes, Saints can return to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

Spors has spoken to leadership nearly every day since he started on February 15 and aims to bring clear structure and communication to the club.

Reporting to CEO Phil Parsons and working alongside director of football operations Mark Bitcon, Spors has nailed his colours to the mast.

"I'm ultimately responsible for every football-related decision," Spors told the Daily Echo, in his first newspaper interview since joining Saints.

Johannes Spors pictured alongside CEO Phil Parsons and director of football operations Mark BitconJohannes Spors pictured alongside CEO Phil Parsons and director of football operations Mark Bitcon (Image: Stuart Martin)

"I decided to not put too much focus on the technical part because we have Mark who is doing the medical team, the performance, the operational side.

"I think it is valuable if a different person does each part really, because I also have a little bit more to do than just the technical side here.

"(Recruitment, managers, staff) - that's ultimately my decision. But it is also about the way I come to these decisions and I think that is very important.

"I think the best way is that I take this responsibility 100 per cent, but I integrate all the internal stakeholders that we have as much as I can."

He continued: "That could be the manager. You ask about signing players, I mean, of course, I don't sign a player against the manager's wish.

"I never really understand that conflict because it just makes no sense, but I'm the expert for this and he's the expert for coaching the team.

"This includes the ownership. It includes scouting, it includes Phil as the CEO who signs off all the budget, but I'm here to take decisions and responsibility."

Spors' role as group technical director means "some extra work", but he is based with Saints and his office overlooks the training pitch at Staplewood.

"In the old multi-club (777 Group), in the beginning, I was really in Genoa - but then I was out and responsible for everything equally," said Spors.

"I had to manage every club to the best version and we have been very successful with three promotions across the clubs in less than two years.

"But the big difference here is that I'm really in Southampton and I connect here with the other clubs, with a clear focus on Southampton."

One of the first big decisions Spors will have to take is on the future of the manager, Ivan Juric, who penned an 18-month contract in December.

Juric was hired in the wake of Russell Martin's dismissal but has overseen just one win and 10 defeats in his 11 Premier League matches as boss.

Asked if he will remain in charge, Spors responded: "There is not a 100 per cent precise answer. The manager at the moment is Ivan and will be Ivan.

"There is no other decision taken. I've known of Ivan for a very long time, I was always very impressed by the achievements that he had.

"He really stabilised difficult environments, especially defensively. He made sure that his clubs not only stabilised but also did grow again.

"It's not a secret and he is the first one to say this to you when you interview him, he is not satisfied that this development visible here yet.

"I'm here to observe this of course and I'm here to help him wherever I can. That's the situation where we are at the moment."

Spors added: "It is important that I know the market of managers. No manager in the world would be against that at their club. 

"It is important that ownership knows good sporting directors, this is nothing against me or Mark. I am following the global talent market in general.

"Bringing talent to this football club is absolutely crucial. On the pitch, off the pitch. When I say off the pitch, I don't mean just one head coach.

"I mean talent in the scouting, in the recruitment, in the analytics. We want people that want to grow. We need this energy of development.

"My former assistant the last years is now a sporting director in Kaiserslautern. This is what makes me really happy, this is what motivates me.

"If someone works closely with me, I can help him to make a next step and he is successful. Hopefully, he will be better than I am."

Spors does not hail from an inherited football background, having studied sports science and political science to completion while working normal jobs. 

Despite becoming global director of six clubs for 777, Spors started as a match analyst filming games for Hoffenheim in Germany on €12 an hour in 2007.

He became head of scouting at RB Leipzig, later working there under Ralph Hasenhuttl, and became head of recruitment at Hamburg in 2018.

"I was always driven for more responsibility and more decision-making and so I felt I have to go in the direction to being the number one," he said.

Spors is not shy to admit that immediate promotion back to the Premier League is the target next season, stating: "100 per cent, nothing else."

Although there are 10 Premier League matches still to play, the attention will fast turn to building a competent squad that can achieve that aim.

"I think we can do a lot in the window and we have to do a lot. We will be very, very active and I'm really looking forward to that," insisted Spors. 

"If you just look at the pure size of our squad, when everybody stays and everybody comes back from loans, we have roughly 40 players.

"That means there will be a lot of decisions and we also have to rebuild the squad. I always think that squad planning is really a complicated picture.

Likely relegated Saints are targeting an instant promotion back to the Premier League next seasonLikely relegated Saints are targeting an instant promotion back to the Premier League next season (Image: Stuart Martin)

"It's experience, it's youth, it's talent and the right characteristics for the style of play. I arrived here early for this window to really be prepared."

Asked if Saints will have to sell before they can buy, Spors said: "We will have to see a little. There are a couple of decisions that we have to wait for.

"We have to wait for how the market really reacts. There is this little window now because of the World Cup coming a little bit earlier.

"We can act, we can. Of course, as every football club in the world, we are also dependent on revenues. But in that sense, we are very comfortable.

"We can look positive into the window and then let's see how the market reacts, what can be done quickly, what takes longer, but we have time.

"At this stage of the season, you are preparing. You set the structure. You collect ideas. We will not sign new players this or next week.

"There is no window. Even if there was, it's about preparing first. Plannings for the next season are absolutely ongoing and going in a good direction."

Southampton's recruitment has probably been more misses than hits under Sport Republic and goes a long way to explain this season's struggles.

Darren Mowbray was appointed head of recruitment in May 2023, ahead of the Championship season, when the club relied mostly on loans.

"I'm very experienced with this but I don't want to speak too much about the past," insisted Spors, asked how satisfied he is with current processes.

"It's very normal that in the beginning I make it very clear to the scouting and recruitment how I want this department to work.

"I know I also have to adapt to culture, but they have to adapt more to me, honestly. I am, at the moment, making sure that we go in the right direction.

"It is a very important department. I'm evaluating and we will also make a couple of decisions in that area," he concluded.

As they did two years ago, Saints will likely face a difficult summer with interest in their players, some players wanting to leave - and the financial reality.

Saints will have to recoup some money due to the losses of TV revenue and player trading will be integral to that, but they will not sell cheap. 

Spors said: "I think we have to find the right balance and absolutely, yes, a couple of players have to stay because they are important.

"Other players have been here maybe a little bit too long or want to leave and this is okay. We can make different decisions.

"But we will not allow everybody to leave just because he wants to leave. We also need the right profiles for the Championship," he added.

"I have not worked in the Championship but I follow this competition very closely for a couple of years. We have employees here that know the competition.

"In my previous job, I got Genoa promoted from the second division to the first. I got Vasco da Gama promoted from the second division to the first.

"I got Red Star Paris promoted from the third division to the second. I was involved in the Red Bull promotion. A couple of things are very comparable.

"The more physical approach, the more dominance of long balls, the importance of set pieces. There are a couple of things that you can compare.

"I'm really looking forward to it. I think it would be wrong to say we keep everything or we change everything. It needs to be the right mix.

"That's exactly what I'm observing in these weeks to understand who is the right one to fight for the next goal that we have next season."