Fresh timescale emerges in Southampton FC manager search - Tonda Eckert may not have long left | OneFootball

Saints are set to make a decision on their latest man in the hotseat after Saturday's game vs Sheffield Wednesday

A fresh timescale has emerged regarding Southampton FC's ongoing managerial search as Sport Republic look to nail their eventual replacement for Will Still.

That is according to an update from Lyall Thomas of Sky Sports, who has also revealed that Saints' interim boss, Tonda Eckert, has entered the frame, as the club will make a decision on such developments following their upcoming clash against the Championship's bottom club, Sheffield Wednesday, on Saturday afternoon.

The aforementioned Eckert took charge of the South Coast side's midweek success against Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road, during which strikes from Jay Robinson and the in-form Leo Scienza were enough to secure a third win in just 14 league games for the club, despite the fact Rumarn Burrell provided hope of a comeback amongst Rangers supporters 17 minutes from time.

It was a crucial victory for the side who have still won just five games out of a possible 52 ever since defeating Leeds United in the Championship play-off final under the management of Russell Martin back in May 2024.

Still was unable to halt such a slide after a 12-point haul in the Premier League last term, and whilst Wednesday's success in west London has only seen the newly-relegated side push up to 19th in the second tier standings, the German interim boss could potentially land the full-time vacancy, should he continue to impress against Henrik Pedersen's men, who have picked up draws against West Bromwich Albion and Norwich City in their two recent outings.

Even prior to Still's dismissal after a run of just two wins in 13 Championship games, the vast proportion of Southampton fans continued to air their main frustrations towards Sport Republic - fronted by majority owner Dragan Solak - and sporting director, Johannes Spors.

Despite the club's lowly position in the table heading into November, many high-profile names have been linked with the post, which included rather ambitious calls that Saints could have lured either Frank Lampard or Mark Robins away from Coventry City and Stoke City, despite the fact the Sky Blues and Potters currently make up the Championship's automatic promotion places heading into their weekend clash at the Bet365 Stadium.

The likes of Brendan Rodgers and former boss, Martin, had also been mentioned as potential targets, before it was claimed that Spors turned his attention towards the German managerial market.

After seeing his side take a crucial three points away from their London opponents on Wednesday, it remained to be seen whether Eckert would remain in his temporary position heading towards the weekend, after he was, unsurprisingly, quizzed about his stance on taking up the full-time vacancy by local media in his post-match press conference.

However, it has now emerged that the result and manner of their success against the Hoops has impressed the Saints hierarchy, although Eckert, who was appointed as head coach of the club's Under-21s side in July, will still be in interim charge against the Steel City outfit.

Should the Saints go in a different direction though, it means that Eckert may not have long left to be in temporary charge of the club.

There are several avenues which Sport Republic could explore, even though it is clear Spors has his heart set on a German theme to replace Still, who previously had continental success in France and Belgium.

Eckert, prior to his St Mary's arrival, was assistant at Genoa between 2022 and 2025, most recently under Patrick Vieira, who was dismissed himself over the weekend.

However, the 32-year-old does have prior experience of the Championship at assistant level, having worked at Barnsley between August 2020 and January 2022, with the Tykes making the play-offs under Valerien Ismael during his only full campaign at Oakwell.

As such, Eckert will hope that another positive result and just a second home win of the campaign against Wednesday may be enough to land the permanent gig, although supporters could see it as another high-risk gamble from the ownership group, meaning a more experienced head could be poached from elsewhere.