Southampton ‘Falling Into The Trap’ Warns Ex-EFL Star | OneFootball

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Former EFL attacker Adrian Clarke is convinced that if Southampton end up appointing Tonda Eckert, it will be a mistake.

Following their relegation from the Premier League, Southampton were tipped, under new boss Will Still, to be firmly in the mix to win promotion from the Championship.

However, the young manager could not get a tune out of the team and Southampton sacked him earlier this month.

They are currently sitting 17th in the league table, but the Saints have won their last two games under their interim manager Eckert.

And in recent days, it has been suggested that Southampton are considering giving Eckert the job full-time at St Mary’s.

Ex-EFL star Clarke, though, feels that Southampton are a club with a big stature, with a lot of expectations in the fanbase.

The 51-year-old stressed that the Saints are falling into the trap of handing their interim the full-time role, which, according to him, is going to be a mistake.

“For Southampton, they are falling into the trap of appointing their caretaker, Tonda Eckert, 32”, Clarke said on What The EFL (6:15) about Eckert.

“I think that will probably be a mistake.

“It is a big club, has high expectations – it is a heck of a big ask for someone of his sort of lack of experience.

“That [appointing Eckert permanently] will be a mistake.”

Eckert worked within German clubs’ youth set-ups before he joined Barnsley as their assistant manager, and was part of Alberto Gilardino’s coaching team at Genoa.

A few months ago, the Saints appointed him as Southampton Under-21s manager, and following Still’s sacking, the German is now a frontrunner for the full-time job.