Southampton eye 32-year-old to replace Will Still - new developments wouldn't make it a surprise | OneFootball

The Saints' interim boss certainly made a good impression in recent outings

Southampton made a timely return to form ahead of the November international break, with such developments being one of two key priorities surrounding the club at present.

Indeed, the glaringly obvious issue facing under-fire ownership group, Sport Republic, is sourcing a replacement for Will Still, who was relieved of his duties at St Mary's at the start of the month following a run of two wins in 13 Championship games.

The current two-week gap in the schedule allows for the likes of Dragan Solak and Johannes Spors to end a swift managerial search, although a bizarre domino effect occurring in the top two divisions of English football when it comes to the managerial circuit has seen the South Coast side, and many other clubs, almost constantly linked with the same set of potential candidates.

At present, Saints are joined by Middlesbrough and Norwich City when it comes to finding a long-term leader, with names such as Gary O'Neil, Russell Martin and, most recently, the aforementioned Still all flirting around the vacant posts at St Mary's, the Riverside Stadium and Carrow Road.

Of course, each of those in charge of matters at all three clubs will see pros and cons as to why they should be given said roles. However, it's fair to say that it wouldn't come as the greatest of shocks if Saints looked in-house rather than elsewhere based on developments within the past seven days.

Tonda Eckert has made a strong initial impression as Southampton's interim Will Still replacement

As is so often the norm, Still's departure a week ago also saw members of his coaching staff, such as Carl Martin, Ruben Martinez and Clement Lemaitre also leave their positions with the newly-relegated side.

As such, Under-21s boss, Tonda Eckert, was initially tasked with overseeing recent matches against Queens Park Rangers and Sheffield Wednesday, with Saints positioned in 20th before the start of play at Loftus Road.

Despite supporters entering the block of matches with understandable feelings of uncertainty and trepidation, largely based off a dismal run of form which lasted well over a year, Eckert has certainly restored some pride and joy amongst the playing squad, his temporary batch of staff and most importantly, an extremely divided fanbase.

Despite Rangers not being in the best form themselves of late, they have proven a tough match for most this term, particularly in W12. But, it was Saints who picked up their first success since September 30th last Wednesday with an encouraging performance and 2-1 scoreline, courtesy of Jay Robinson and the in-form Leo Scienza.

A real benchmark of their progress would be to back up such a performance and pick up a first home win since the opening day of the season against a Wednesday side who have earned mass praise for their performances and conduct throughout the campaign, despite the fact relegation to League One looks a certainty amid a recent 12-point deduction.

Despite seeing less of the ball, Saints played with a swagger and in a ruthless manner whenever in the attacking third, evidenced as they raced into a 2-0 lead after 17 minutes through Casper Jander and Finn Azaz, with fellow summer recruit Tom Fellows also posting his first assist for the club.

A two-goal cushion was restored shortly after the break by one-time England international, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, with back-to-back wins for the first time in a regular season since April 2024 seeing the Reds rise to 17th, and they are still just seven points behind the play-offs.

Tonda Eckert's chances of potentially landing permanent Southampton gig

Indeed, last week it was claimed that the club would shift their focus to the ongoing managerial search after Saturday's clash with the Owls, with the aforementioned Spors believed to be turning his attention towards a German-based manager or head coach.

Intriguingly, no names are yet to come from this particular corner of Europe yet, whilst Saints supporters made their feelings known over what would be a controversial appointment of O'Neil given his prior connections with bitter rivals, Portsmouth.

It was reported that Eckert does have "key allies" within the club who would be keen to see him handed the full-time vacancy, with his prior experience at Championship level somewhat remaining unknown after returning to English football in July.

The 32-year-old was previously an assistant at Barnsley between August 2020 and January 2022, with the Tykes reaching the play-offs under Valerien Ismael in his only full season at Oakwell, before fulfilling a similar role with Genoa in Serie A under the likes of Patrick Vieira.

Given his relationship with figures at the club, his prior knowledge of the division and experience of overseeing the development of the latest talent to come through Southampton's successful Staplewood academy, back-to-back wins will have only enhanced Eckert's chances of being handed the job in the long run, and it could be a wise decision by the hierarchy.