Speaking at the press conference before Saturday's crucial game against Manchester City, Ronald Koeman once again confirmed that he will at least see out his contract, but intimated that his stay could be longer.
Ronald Koeman seems slightly baffled as to why there is so much speculation as to whether he will sign a new deal or not. On the Continent he has been used to a different way of doing things, indeed at Feyenoord he worked on a series of one year deals signing a new one a few months before the old one expired.
Its different in England where football clubs like to tie down their managers to long term deals, although that proves a costly decision sometimes when the manager is sacked early in a four year contract.
Saints have a vision of where they want to be over the next five years and have already put that vision to Koeman who after confirming that he would be seeing out his contract and staying at Saints next season, he said the ball now if firmly in Saints court to put a new deal in front of him.
But Koeman is relaxed about the situation and in his laid back manner said
"If the club likes to talk they will come and I will see,”
"I don’t knock on the door."
"When I worked in Feyenoord I signed three times a one year contract and we spoke in January."
"The club makes a five-year plan and of course I’m interested in how we see the plan and discuss about that plan and agree or not."
"I had that meeting with the board of the club and it was separate to my contract."
"The board of the club shows how they see the next five years in the club and it was good to see they still have ambition to grow and to make the next step.”
However Koeman is under no illusion the task Saints face in that five year plan, this year League may have been a little different with Chelsea virtually swapping places with Leicester City, but that will probably be only for a year and the vultures from the so called big clubs will always come knocking.
"We like to do it always better than we did it the last year before but it’s difficult because everybody knows the Premier League and there will be interest in some Southampton players and it’s difficult to keep the team together for two or three years.
"The club, the team, the players are showing great belief and spirit to finish again this season on a high position on the table."
"We are still fighting for Europe and that’s fantastic for the team.”
"There’s time enough. Why? We can wait.”
So the position regarding Contract discussions is clear, Saints and Ronald Koeman are waiting till the season ends, the manager fully intends to be here next year and is open to a new long term deal.
From a fans perspective the reason we are all so desperate for Ron to sign is that he has done so well for Saints, already he has improved the team and continued to do so despite losing key players, quite simply he is at a stage where if he were to win a trophy he would be right up there with Ted Bates and Lawrie McMenemy in the list of great Saints managers.