One way or the other, a decision on what happens next needs to be made - and soon. Southampton's interest is relatively new, but what makes this so frustrating in the eyes of Swans fans is that this is a situation that's felt almost inevitable for weeks now. Leicester City are also said to have put Martin at the top of their short list of candidates, should they be relegated and part company with Dean Smith, but it's links with the Saints that have clearly gained traction over the last few days. Whether Martin himself would be interested isn't yet clear, although at the time of writing there's not been any sort of formal approach at this stage. The suggestion is Southampton are keen to move towards a more possession-based brand of football as part of a rebuilding operation at the club, and they see Martin has a good fit.

Links with a move to newly-relegated Southampton have gathered an uncomfortable amount of momentum in the last few days, and Martin appears to be a leading contender to take the reins at the club being relegated from the Premier League. The 37-year-old is entering the final year of his contract this summer, and proposed discussions with the club's top brass have been at the eye of a storm of speculation. It's not entirely clear as of yet whether those conversations have actually happened, and there's no real sign of an imminent extension to his current deal. Martin was due to meet the club's hierarchy, including new chairman Andy Coleman, in the United States this week to talk about his future and the way forward for the club. What's more, there's precious little to put their minds at ease right now. It seems Swansea are flirting with a managerial saga of their own at the moment, with Russell Martin's future appearing increasingly uncertain. READ MORE: Swansea City transfer news as Russell Martin now runaway favourite to join Southampton Instead, there's a sense of dread that's been steadily growing for the last few days.

Members of the Jack Army should, as the rules of football fandom dictate, be taking delight at events unfolding in the capital and the state of play in Cardiff City's managerial search. It's been a simply tortuous week for Swansea City fans.

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