Nicola Cortese to stay a Saint
Southampton chairman says clear-the-air talks means he will remain with club
London: Southampton executive chairman Nicola Cortese will be staying with the Premier League club after clear-the-air talks with the owner, the club have confirmed.
The Swiss-Italian banker, who has overseen Saints’ rise from League One to the Premier League via back-to-back promotions, had threatened to walk away due to uncertainty over backing for his vision of the club’s future. But after meeting owner Katharina Liebherr, he announced that he has her full backing and would not be leaving.
That also allayed fears that manager Mauricio Pochettino could leave St Mary’s after he publicly expressed his full backing for Cortese in the week.
Cortese said on the club’s official website: “We are now in a position to move forward with our ambitious plans for the club and I would like to thank Katharina for the very helpful manner in which she approached our talks about long term strategy. I am pleased that this matter is now resolved.
“We can now focus 100 per cent on our preparations for next season. We have tremendous momentum now at the Club and we are looking forward with great confidence to an exciting and successful campaign next season.
“The last few days have shown me the unity that we now have across the club in the players, the first team manager, the staff and the chairmanship which normally takes years to achieve. I have always believed that to create this unity would make us a very strong club and it is a unity of which I am unashamedly proud.”
Earlier in the week, Argentinian Pochettino was asked if he would stay should Cortese leave, and was uncompromising in his reply.
“Of course not, because the person that has put his faith in me in this club and as a manager is Nicola Cortese.
“Nicola Cortese has basically been the reality at Southampton for the past four years.”
He added: “Me, on a personal sense, I would not understand a Southampton without Nicola being here.”
Cortese replaced Nigel Adkins with Pochettino four months ago, a decision which has paid off with the Saints having secured Premier League status for next season.
