Where AI thinks Southampton FC will finish in the EFL Championship table with Tonda Eckert in charge | OneFootball

The German could land the permanent gig at St Mary's after taking interim charge

Southampton are one of four clubs looking for a permanent figure to take the reins at St Mary's at present, despite the fact Will Still was relieved of his duties on November 2nd.

The South Coast side began their return to the Championship in abhorrent fashion, despite the fact they were viewed, by many outsiders, as promotion material due to the experienced squad initially at Still's disposal, despite the fact a summer of turnover ensued, as is so often the case after a club is relegated from the Premier League.

Unsurprisingly, though, a run of just two wins in 13 league games under the 32-year-old was deemed unacceptable by ownership group, Sport Republic, although majority chairman, Dragan Solak, and sporting director, Johannes Spors, haven't got away scot-free in the eyes of many disillusioned Saints supporters.

As such, the hunt for Still's successor and a fourth manager or head coach since the first of two Premier League relegations in May 2023 continues heading into the second phase of the November international break, with Under-21s manager, Tonda Eckert, still overseeing matters after enjoying back-to-back victories over Queens Park Rangers and Sheffield Wednesday.

Several names, employed and unemployed, have been linked with the vacant post, although there is still a possibility that Eckert continues to lead the side.

With that being said, Football League World asked ChatGPT to predict the club's final league position for 2025/26 should he remain in charge.

The current possibility of Tonda Eckert remaining in charge of Southampton

Eckert has put himself in contention to land the permanent gig as successive victories against QPR and the rock-bottom Owls have propelled Saints to 17th, still just six points outside the play-off places due to the congested nature of the Championship table.

It was initially claimed that the aforementioned Spors was swayed towards looking at a German-based manager to replace Still, although no names who fit such criteria have been made public.

Amid continued links to the likes of Russell Martin and Michael Carrick, it was revealed by Alex Crook of talkSPORT on Thursday, that the Saints hierarchy are expected to offer Eckert the job on a full-time basis, just months after he joined the club to oversee the development of its Under-21s side.

It has since been reported by the BBC that Eckert is expected to remain in charge after the current fixture gap, although it is more likely to remain on an interim basis whilst a long-term decision is weighed up in the background.

AI predicts Southampton FC's final EFL Championship finish if Tonda Eckert remains in charge at St Mary's

Despite never landing a full-time gig as a head coach, Eckert is no stranger to the rigours of the Championship, having previously been an assistant at Barnsley between August 2020 and January 2022, with the Tykes unexpectedly making the play-offs in his only full season, working with current Blackburn Rovers boss, Valerien Ismael.

Eckert has since been in a similar post with Genoa with managers such as ex-Crystal Palace boss and Arsenal midfielder, Patrick Vieira, before taking up his aforementioned role in Hampshire.

It must be noted that Saints continue to boast one of the most high-profile squads in the division, with players such as Adam Armstrong - who netted 24 times in the 2023/24 promotion-winning season - still at the club.

Despite their continued close proximity to the top six with 31 games of the campaign remaining, whilst Eckert is said to have "key allies" within the club, AI believes Saints will end the season in 12th place.

This would represent a lowest league finish since 2010/11, with AI believing that whilst they would showcase signs of improvement under the German, his side would remain plagued with inconsistency and fall short of the play-offs come May.