Tonda Eckert remains in the Southampton dug-out for the time being.
Dragan Solak has publicly backed the German, despite all the stresses Spygate has put on the Saints owner in recent times, not to mention the fact that all the spying that came to light killed their promotion dreams last season. The Serbian clearly believes in the 33-year-old, regardless of everything that has unfortunately transpired.
It's very apparent that the Berlin-born manager is a popular figure, even as his reputation in the wider game is dragged through the mud, with Cyle Larin citing Eckert as a major reason why he has remained put past his loan spell, despite promotion not taking place.
Larin's complimentary words for Eckert
Larin might currently be out at the World Cup with Canada, with the Ontario-born striker even scoring his nation's vital equalising goal against Bosnia and Herzegovina, but the 31-year-old still found time in his busy schedule to officially seal a permanent stay in England.
The well-travelled striker, who has called the likes of Turkey and the Netherlands home during his playing days, was an immediate hit at St. Mary's, with the one-time loanee picking up a potent nine goals from 22 appearances for the Saints.
The 91-time Canada international could have easily ditched the club that helped reignite his career, with the fallout of Spygate in the air, but he clearly still wanted to make Southampton his fixed abode, as this hunger returning in his game got him selected for the World Cup.
He would single out Eckert, when speaking before his nation's opening clash versus Bosnia, as a key person who has allowed him to believe in himself again as a deadly goalscorer, labelling his club manager as "very important" to his upturn in form.
Becoming a villain in the media for his role in Spygate, it's nice that he is still being praised for the hard work and graft he put in as Saints boss last season in improving the playing personnel.
The German could still face the wrath of the FA and be handed a ban from the beautiful game, but for both Solak and Larin, they want nobody but Eckert in the St. Mary's dug-out for next season.
It's not just the Serbian and the World Cup hero who have been singing the praises of the heavily criticised boss, however, as another Southampton player has come out to wax lyrical about the impact Eckert has had on his career, in such a short space of time.
He's not the only Southampton player waxing lyrical
Not every Southampton player who impressed under the controversial manager will be sticking around for next season's journey.
Ross Stewart has failed to agree on terms to sign an extended contract, so he will be walking away from St. Mary's imminently.
Scoring 11 goals last season, this is a kick in the teeth for Eckert and Co, considering Daniel Peretz staying put, alongside Larin, has really raised the optimism levels for next season, only for this dose of realism to sting.
Thankfully, the Stewart blow hasn't lingered for too long, as it has been confirmed that James Bree will be sticking it out at St. Mary's until 2029.
At one stage during his bumpy Saints career, Bree looked nailed on to be leaving, with a loan stint to Charlton Athletic during the first half of last season, a quickfire way for the South Coast club to get him off the books temporarily, before seeking out an exit for good.
He bounced back from being chucked out to the Valley, however, and he would transform himself into a crucial part of the jigsaw under Eckert.
Indeed, two goals and two assists would fall into his back pocket from 18 appearances, with Southampton actually going on a terrific 18-game unbeaten run, which coincided with his burst into the first team picture.
Again, this is another example of Eckert getting loads more out of a player who was once downtrodden, with Larin only scoring once on loan at Feyenoord during the first couple of months of the 2025/26 season, before salvaging his dented reputation at St. Mary's.
Noting that the German is an "unbelievable" manager to bounce off of when his contract extension was unveiled, Bree will love lining up for the Saints again next season, if he has the transformative manager by his side.
He will be waiting wth bated breath, alongside Larin, to see what Eckert's FA punishment is, with the hope that the popular head coach among the Saints players can finally lead Southampton to promotion, without Spygate dominating conversations.
Add us as a preferred source on Google