Southampton have been granted permission following a managerial application ahead of Championship action returning, it has been revealed.
Southampton fan pundit calls for “experienced” manager
The Saints and Sport Republic have taken their time in regards to appointing Will Still’s permanent successor after sacking him at the beginning of the month.
A number of bosses have been linked with the St Mary’s vacancy, but it is interim manager Tonda Eckert who has been catching the eye after back-to-back wins against QPR and Sheffield Wednesday prior to the international break.
There have been suggestions the 32-year-old is in line to receive the permanent Southampton manager job, however, the pressure is on Sport Republic after a number of failures in recent times. Southampton fan pundit Ray Hunt even stated that supporters “want to see an experienced manager” come in.
“Sport Republic have appointed five permanent mangers in their three full seasons in charge. During that period, they have overseen two relegations from the Premier League, and one promotion with their only success, Russell Martin, but failed to give him the tools needed to succeed in the top flight.
“Moving forward, fans will want to see an experienced manager, who’s widely respected with a clear structure. We cannot repeat mistakes from the past. It is a huge task they simply have to get right. Take your time, give Tonda time in that interim, but ultimately make the right decision. The fans won’t tolerate another failure.”
Meanwhile, it has been added that Eckert is set to get the next three Championship fixtures to increase his chances of landing the role.
Now, it has been revealed the lengths the Saints have had to go to for Eckert to be in the dugout over the coming weeks despite already being employed as U23 coach.
Southampton apply for new visa to keep Eckert in charge
According to Sport 1, ‘Southampton applied for a work visa for Eckert for the upcoming matches so they could continue working with him’. It is claimed that the Saints ‘already received this visa for the next few games – meaning Eckert can continue’.
Tonda Eckert’s coaching career
Role
Years
1.FC Koln U17
Assistant manager
2013-2016
RB Salzburg YL
Assistant manager
2016-2017
RB Leipzig YL
Assistant manager
2017-2019
FC Bayern U17
Assistant manager
2019-2020
Barnsley
Assistant manager
2020-2022
Genoa
Assistant manager
2022-2025
Southampton U23
Manager
2025
Southampton
Interim manager
2025 – present
Eckert had a different visa as U23 coach, with the situation labelled ‘complex’ as ‘England’s employment law is extremely complicated, especially in football’, with clubs needing to ‘provide detailed justifications to the authorities as to why they prefer a foreign coach to an English candidate’.
Should Eckert get another positive result at The Valley this weekend and then again at home to Leicetser City and away to Millwall, then the speculation surrounding him landing the job on a long-term basis will only increase.
Southampton told to appoint new manager over Eckert who "ticks every box"