Southampton: Gareth Barry makes Tonda Eckert claim as FA investigation continues | OneFootball

Tonda Eckert's future at Southampton is up in the air amid an investigation from the FA

Southampton are preparing for the new Championship campaign as they look to bounce back from the spying scandal that ended their promotion hopes last season.

The Saints reached the play-off final, but were expelled from the competition after being found guilty of breaching the EFL’s rules against spying on opposition teams.

The Hampshire outfit admitted to three instances of spying, including against Middlesbrough prior to the first leg of their play-off semi-final.

Tonda Eckert is still under investigation by the Football Association for his role in the scandal, but he remains in charge of the Championship side for the time being.

The German is under threat of being given a ban from football, but no decision has yet been made, with the club already back for pre-season.

Eckert earned a lot of praise for guiding Southampton to a fourth place finish in the table, with the team struggling in the bottom half when he took over in November of last year.

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Gareth Barry has backed Southampton’s decision to stick with Eckert, even with the prospect of him being banned from football looming, as he would be quite difficult to replace after the excellent work he did last season.

He has tipped the Saints to be among the contenders for a play-off place again in 2026/27, and potentially even a top two spot, even with the possible pressure Eckert will be under if he avoids a ban.

"It was a massive talking point at Southampton that will continue to be this season,” said Barry, via the Daily Echo.

"I like that they stuck with the manager; he's a young manager who showed his potential last season.

“He would have been hard to replace.

"They have the points deduction to deal with, but I think the squad is capable of challenging again.

"It wouldn't surprise me if Southampton are in the mix for the play-offs (top eight in the league qualify) or even automatic promotion this season.

"They've already signed players to improve the squad.

“I'm interested to see how the manager reacts to the pressure this year."

Eckert took on his first head coach role when he was appointed as interim boss by Southampton in November.

A positive start to life in the role led to him becoming the permanent replacement for Will Still.

The German led the Saints to fourth in the table, as well as the FA Cup semi-finals, where they lost 2-1 to Manchester City.

How Southampton fans feel about Tonda Eckert’s future

Southampton fans are confused by how long the FA’s investigation into Eckert is taking, with the 33-year-old earning a lot of support.

With the season starting in just over a month, supporters are disappointed by the lack of any decision, as it would be quite disruptive to their pre-season if he was now banned.

Some fans are optimistic that Eckert will be given a warning, particularly as signings such as Daniel Peretz and Cyle Larin both joined on the basis that he would be in charge.

Despite Southampton’s expulsion from the play-offs, the head coach remains a popular figure among supporters, and they’d be disappointed to lose him.

Southampton begin the campaign on 16 August with a trip to face Watford.

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Sticking with Tonda Eckert was a brave call by Southampton

The initial response to Southampton’s expulsion from the play-offs led many to expect Eckert to leave quite quickly.

However, the club have been patient and have taken a brave step to stick with him even as he faces the possibility of being banned from football.

The 33-year-old did a great job of turning things around last season, but the spying scandal overshadowed all of that work.

If he avoids a ban, then he has every chance of leading Southampton to another promotion push on the basis of his good work with the team last season.