Exclusive: What Southampton FC should be looking for after sacking Will Still - Sky pundit reveals | OneFootball

Don Goodman has spoken to FLW about interim manager Tonda Eckert being in the frame for the Saints job.

After Will Still departed Southampton, the club has been on the rise by winning back-to-back games under interim boss Tonda Eckert.

Since the German was placed into temporary care of first-team duties, the Saints have picked up vital wins over Queens Park Rangers and Sheffield Wednesday to lift themselves away from relegation danger.

The South Coast-based outfit now sit 17th in the Championship on 18 points, but now may be able to feel they can look up the table rather than over their shoulders.

The international break has come at a crucial time for the hierarchy to find a replacement for Still, and given his 100%-win record as boss, is Eckert a candidate for the position on a full-time basis?

Last week, journalist Alan Nixon reported that Eckert could well be considered for the position, with the 32-year-old said to have "key allies at the club".

It was also reported by the Daily Echo that Saints technical director Johannes Spors is looking to appoint a German as his next manager, so the boxes are ticking for Eckert.

Southampton supporters will have memories they would like to forget the last time the club appointed an internal candidate in the form of Ruben Selles, so there will be some reservations already about whether Eckert is the right man to lead the club forward.

With this in mind, Sky Sports pundit Don Goodman has outlined his thoughts on Southampton’s potential move for Eckert, and whether he is the right person to approach.

Don Goodman advises Southampton to appoint a more experienced head coach

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, Sky Sports pundit Don Goodman has cast doubt over whether Tonda Eckert is the right fit for Southampton at the moment, admitting the club should be looking for a more experienced head coach to push them into the promotion mix by the end of the season.

Goodman said: “So, Tonda Eckert wins two games out of two, he can’t do any better than that, can he really? What it will do is give him an appetite to be a number one, but whether that’s at Southampton is debatable.

“Obviously, Southampton have just relieved a very young head coach of his duties, albeit a young coach who had quite a lot of experience in French football as a number one, so whether that will put them off (having) another young head coach remains to be seen.

“But he’s done a brilliant job, it would be a big gamble, there’s no doubt about it, but my gut feeling is that they should be looking for a more experienced head coach.”

Southampton would be better placed with a more experienced boss

Despite registering consecutive victories, Southampton remain in a precarious position and need stability with the appointment of a head coach before the international break comes to an end.

The likes of Tony Mowbray, Mark Robins and Frank Lampard have been touted for the position, while talks with former Wolves boss Gary O’Neil are said to be “advancing quickly” as per a report by Football Insider.

The Saints need a boss who will come in and galvanise the group of players, while possessing much-needed experience at the top end of the game to get the club fighting towards promotion back to the Premier League.

There could be reservations about O’Neil given his lack of experience managing at Championship level, but he’s showcased during good times with Bournemouth and Wolves that he can deliver success on the pitch.

He was considered rather unfortunate to lose his job with the Cherries after guiding the club to Premier League survival in 2022/23 after they parted ways with Scott Parker, while he also helped Wolves to a mid-table finish the following term despite being appointed just three days before the campaign was scheduled to begin.

O’Neil also has the benefit of playing experience in the Championship, with his 191 appearances at this level acclimatising him to the rough and tumble of the division, and what it takes to gain promotion after doing so with QPR and West Ham.

With this in mind, it seems the wrong time for Southampton to be appointing yet another young manager. It hasn’t worked out with Will Still who had an impressive CV, so to go for a more proven and reliable manager in England seems the best course of action to take.