3 managers Southampton must eye after Tonda Eckert news ft. Cardiff City boss | OneFootball

Three managers Southampton must have on their radar if Tonda Eckert departs the club

Southampton have turned their season around under Tonda Eckert after a disastrous start to life back in the Championship.

The Saints were hoping that the appointment of Will Still in the summer would prove a success, with their sights set on automatic promotion back to the Premier League.

However, the 33-year-old lasted just 16 games in charge, with his side winning on only four occasions.

Eckert was appointed on an initial interim basis, but a strong run of form led to him becoming the permanent replacement.

However, it is now being reported by Sky Sport Germany's Florian Plettenberg that the Southampton boss is being tracked by unnamed clubs in Serie A and the Bundesliga following his impressive start to life at St. Mary’s - Eckert was previously an assistant manager at Genoa before he made the move to Saints.

Providing Saints do have interested parties looking at Eckert, they'll need an alternative plan if his head was to be turned - FLW takes a look at three managers they should be eyeing in the event that Eckert does depart the club in the near future…

Russell Martin

Russell Martin previously managed Southampton the last time they were in the Championship, and he enjoyed promotion success at St Mary’s.

If the Saints are still in the second tier of English football this summer, and in need of a new head coach, then perhaps a return to the 40-year-old could be a move that works well for both parties.

The Hampshire outfit know that he has what it takes to bring the club back to the top flight, and Martin needs to rebuild his reputation somewhat after his brief spell at Rangers.

While Southampton struggled in the Premier League under the former Rangers boss, that shouldn’t be enough to put him off a comeback to St Mary’s.

He has a proven playstyle at this level, and he would be a natural fit for this group of players given the amount of attacking options they have.

Brian Barry-Murphy

Brian Barry-Murphy is on the cusp of bringing Cardiff City back to the Championship at the first time of asking.

The Irishman has done well with the Bluebirds in what is only his second senior managerial job, and has made swift work of League One since becoming head coach in the summer.

He also has a proven track record of developing young players at Rochdale, Man City's under-21's and now Cardiff, which is quite important for Southampton given their own academy system is one that is well known for bringing through talents.

Barry-Murphy's style of play is quite pleasing on the eye, and supporters would enjoy what he brings to the table as a coach.

While he is now 47, Barry-Murphy is still also in the early stages of his managerial career, so he could yet prove a very shrewd long-term option.

Miron Muslic

Miron Muslic impressed a lot of people last year when he took over Plymouth Argyle amid their relegation fight.

The 43-year-old almost accomplished a great escape with the Pilgrims, and there’s every chance they would’ve stayed up had he been in charge for more of the campaign.

The Bosnian made the move to German side Schalke in the summer, and he has continued to do well in the 2. Bundesliga.

The Gelsenkirchen outfit are leading the German second tier table, and are in a strong place to gain promotion back to the top flight.

If Southampton need a new coach any time soon, then they should absolutely have their eyes on Muslic, who has already proven himself at a Championship level, and may be willing to give English football another crack.