The first candidate to replace Nicola Cortese has been named in a national newspaper and will raise a few eyebrows.

Christian Purslow is the man the papers are tipping to succeed Nicola Cortese as the CO of Southampton Football Club, this will raise a few eyebrows as Purslow is the man who oversw the sale of Liverpool Football Club to the American John W Henry and it is this that will make some say he is an appointment to find a buyer for the club, but this would be to gloss over just what situation Purslow found himself in.

He is a well educated man and made his money heading a variety of companies, in 2009 he was a season ticket holder at Anfield and with the club in financial meltdown due to the infamous owners Gillette & Hicks he was appointed its CEO in June of that year with a brief to negotiate with RBS over the £360 million loan the club had with them.

A big hitter in the financial World he had soon brought in £80 million into the coffers from a shirt sponsorship deal for four years with Standard Chartered Bank, he had the connections.

But his name in Liverpool folklore is sealed, he clearly had the clubs best interests at heart and in negotiations at finding a buyer as the club headed towards administration and worse, he fought off Hicks & Gillette as they sought to use the club for their own ends, rejected many offers to buy the club from those either offering to little or in his eyes unsuitable and eventually found the right match in the Boston Red Sox owner John W Henry.

I wont go into full detail but Purslow fought against dirty and underhand tactics and snatched Liverpool from the jaws of oblivion and delivered it to safe hands with plenty of high court action on both sides of the Atlantic along the way.

Those who suggest he may be brought in to over see a sale could be right, but if they are he is a football man who will look to make sure that the club if it is sold goes to the right buyer as Im sure Katharina Liebherr would wish, in all of this many have overlooked that she could probably have offloaded the club long ago if she had really wanted too.

When NESV took over in October 2010, Purslow stood down as CEO but remained in an advisory capacity for a while, he is well thought of by both the owners of LFC and its fans and is seen as the man who played a major role in taking the club out of the hands of two owners who were leading it into the abyss and lead it to the right hands.

If he arrives at Saints it will of course raise the question that he might be a more temporary appointment to steady the ship, whatever he is though he is a man who knows football, respects it and has his finger on the pulse of major finance.

One of the things that the Katharina Liebherr will have been concerned about would have been the commercial income coming into the club which was paltry given our status, a CEO is not just responsible for on field performances but off field too, Christian Purslow would undoubtably have the contacts to increase this dramatically, so his appointment would be far more than just a holding role.

Purslow had dropped out of the limelight since leaving Liverpool, part of that was because Hicks & Gillette pursued him legally for over two years regarding the sale of Liverpool this only being concluded in January 2013 when they dropped all allegations, perhaps now he feels able to get back into football, with his experience perhaps he is the man to take us to the next level.

Photo: Action Images

eastlondonsaint added 10:43 - Jan 17 Lets hope so, possibly the best CEO out there, even if it is a temporary position to find the right buyer. Liverpool fans swear by him, told a few 'Vincent Tans' to get fooked before finding the right committed owner for the reds. A great business man and highly respected by all that have dealt with him. Would be a huge step forward.
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saintjeff52 added 10:52 - Jan 17 Go Get Him Floyd
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Zambucco added 10:56 - Jan 17 Whoever is appointed, I hope they will bring stability. As this is a magnificent club and an inspiration to other clubs too. I'm sure the 'Southampton Way' will be a lasting legacy of Nicole Cortese. The staff and players will continue this ethos, as they can see the benefits. The academy has to be the priority, as it will become one of the best in the world, it will also become a revenue stream, not selling the best (they will be playing for Saints) but those not quite good enough for the "Southampton Way" I for one am ambivalent about Nicola Cortese resigning, on one hand seen as a messiah, on the other a megalomaniac. He brokered the deal and he has set the club up the way it is today, but is it all his own work? What experience of English football did he have before us? Where did his ideas come from? my guess is from copying other successful clubs. Applying this method an ambitious motivated CEO could follow in his footsteps. Lastly, I wish that we can have all of our history back, our ex players shown the respect they deserve, better facilities at St. Mary's, and finally the return of terracing. I know the last would be out of a CEO's reach, but a man can dream!

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BoondockSaint added 14:52 - Jan 17 This guy looks like the type we need to grow. Bringing in more money from other revenue streams. Look at the big deal Liverpool just signed with Dunkin Donuts-more money for players. With all the talk about being a Champions League contender, we were never marketed like one under Little Nicci. Gone was any history of the club (stripes and former players), petty spats with the press and the refs, no kid friendly ticket deals or promotions-which not only builds the fan base for the future, but brings in money the parents spend once inside St. Mary, growing the worldwide fan base, etc. So this could be a good deal-if it is true.

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Del_Bianco added 20:09 - Jan 18 Why do Liverpool fans hate him so much?
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