A SURPRISING new name has emerged as the bookies' favourite to replace Ronald Koeman as Saints manager.

Former Germany manager and current USA boss Jurgen Klinsmann has climbed from nowhere in the last 48 hours to sit at the top of the bookmakers' list of contenders for the role.

Klinsmann has gone above Manuel Pellegrini, the former Manchester City manager who has been heavily linked with the job.

The Germany icon has been USA manager since 2011 and has just led them to their best-ever Copa America campaign - although that ended with a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Argentina on Wednesday in the semi-finals.

But despite that success there is unrest in US football that perhaps Klinsmann has taken the country's team as far as he can. 

The 51-year-old has experience of the Premier League as a player, having played for Tottenham in the 1990s - although he has limited experience in club management. 

Betway’s Alan Alger, said: “The emergence of Jurgen Klinsmann as the leading contender to take over at Southampton has come as a bit of a shock. His supporters took advantage of the generous 40/1 that’s been on offer over the last couple of days and the backing has been significant enough for his odds to tumble to 1/3.

“Klinsmann has done a fantastic job with the American national team, not least steering them through a best-ever Copa America campaign by reaching the semi-finals, and has the potential to be a top manager in Europe. The German scored over 200 goals in top-flight European football, including 30 in 56 appearances for Tottenham Hotspur, and he looks destined to be back in the Premier League very soon.”

Klinsmann managed German giants Bayern Munich for a season in 2008/09, but that's as far as his CV goes outside of international management. 

His name has also been mentioned regarding the England job if Roy Hodgson were to depart after Euro 2016 - although he has been settled in the States for some time. 

It would certainly be a big shock to many to see him installed as manager at Saints, with Klinsmann tied to the USA national team on a contract until 2018, despite the doubts over his future.

However, with the club's growing reputation and relationship with North America, as well as chairman Ralph Krueger's heavy links to sport in the USA and Canada, it would not be beyond the realms of possibility that Saints could be considering Klinsmann as one of their candidates. 

As things stand, the club have former Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini and Frenchman Claude Puel on their shortlist to replace Ronald Koeman.

The club have set themselves a deadline of July 4 to bring in a new man.