Southampton FC sent clear Tonda Eckert warning as European clubs line up big raid | OneFootball

FLW’s Southampton fan pundit has had their say over boss Tonda Eckert being linked with moves to the German and Italian top-flight.

Southampton took a giant leap towards securing a place in the play-offs after toppling league leaders Coventry City last weekend.

Flynn Downes was on hand to convert a rebound off the post in the 48th minute to put the Saints in front, while Kuryu Matsuki converted at close-range from a corner to double their advantage five minutes from time.

Victor Torp’s penalty in stoppage time gave the Sky Blues a route back into the game, while Daniel Peretz had to be alert in the dying embers to keep out Brandon Thomas-Asante’s snapshot effort.

The Saints did manage to hang on and bring an end to Coventry’s six-game winning run, extending their own unbeaten run to 12 games in all competitions.

Tonda Eckert’s men are hitting form at the right time to get themselves involved in the promotion mix, with their promotion credentials fully on display to get the better of a team who seem destined to be playing Premier League football next term.

Southampton will be determined to join Coventry back in the big time, and they have every chance given the impressive run of form they have been on.

And given the Saints are doing so well in the second tier, boss Eckert has been receiving the plaudits, and it has seen clubs from the Bundesliga and Serie A closely monitoring the 33-year-old, as per journalist Florian Plettenberg.

It would be a sharp rise to fame in the coaching world given Eckert is only in his first campaign as a full-time professional boss, but his ability to get the Saints rising up the division so quickly seems to have got many top-flight clubs in Europe interested in handing him his next big move.

With this in mind, FLW’s Southampton fan pundit has given his thoughts on Eckert being linked with a move away from the South Coast, and what the club needs to do in order to fend off the emerging interest.

Tonda Eckert's future at Southampton could be dependent on Premier League promotion

Speaking to Football League World, Southampton fan pundit Martin Sanders is far from surprised to see Tonda Eckert linked with a move to the German and Italian top-flight’s for his early work at St Mary’s, hinting that the 33-year-old’s future at the club could be dependent on whether the Saints gain immediate promotion back to the Premier League.

Martin told FLW: “Eckert’s tops, he’s done well. He had a really tough period over Christmas, started well, blipped, overthought some games and made a lot of mistakes.

“There’s been a lot of credit going to his coaching staff, his team. They’ve brought people around him now, and there’s been a real big change in mentality, in structure, defending corners, so he’s done well, but the people around him have done really well, so as a collective, it’s been good.

“He will attract interest in Germany because he’s done really well. Whether he’ll be here next year if we’re in the Championship, whether we’re in the Premier League what happens then, you know?

"It’s a big step from the Championship to the Premier League, but he’s learning on the spot, young man, and he's done well.

"I’ve got a lot of time (for Eckert), and I think every Saints fan has got a lot of respect for him because a lot of us were very unsure at the start.”

Tonda Eckert speculation inevitable amid Southampton form

As is the case in football, if you’re doing well and on an upward trajectory, a bigger club will look to prize away your biggest asset, and it seems Southampton might be the victim of this in the near future.

After a dismal start to life back in the Championship under Will Still, Eckert, against all the odds, has come in and transformed their fortunes, and while there have been bumps in the road, he has eventually got them into promotion contention, as they were expected to be at the start of the term.

Throw that in with a quarter-final appearance to come in the FA Cup, and it has all the makings of a special season unfolding on the South Coast.

Of course, as a native German, you would imagine he would be keen on making a name for himself in the Bundesliga, but the Saints may well have a chance of keeping hold of him if they can secure their place back in the Premier League.

Eckert’s resolve will be tested though if the Saints remain a Championship team next season, with the outcome of these upcoming months seemingly crucial over whether Eckert will lead this club over the long-term.