Wilcox joins Southampton as director of football

Southampton have appointed Jason Wilcox as their new Director of Football, the Premier League club announced on Friday, with the former Blackburn Rovers and Leeds United player joining them from Manchester City.

Wilcox has worked at City since 2012, initially in several coaching roles before taking on the role of their Academy Director in 2017.

At Southampton, he will be responsible for all football departments, including the men's first team, academy and the women's and girls' programme, the club said.

"Another part of his remit will be player recruitment, an area that will be temporarily overseen by Club Director Rasmus Ankersen until Jason's arrival," the south-coast club said.

The 51-year-old, a former Premier League winner with Blackburn in 1995, will join Southampton in the summer once he has served his notice period with City.

Southampton are bottom of the league on 15 points after 19 games, one point adrift of the safety zone. They host Aston Villa on Saturday.