Dragan Solak, lead investor of Southampton’s majority ownership group Sport Republic and Chairman of the club, has spoken out in a direct message to Southampton fans.
In the statement, the Serbian said he must ‘take responsibility’ for everything that happens at the football club. His key point of pushback was that the price the club has had to pay for their activities is disproportionate, but they accept it is a period they need to learn from.
Solak then addressed the managerial situation and gave young, under-fire Head Coach Tonda Eckert his complete support.
Dragan backs Tonda
"Tonda's period as our head coach has been a success so far. Our form during 2026 has been remarkable and we believe he is the man to take us forward," Chairman Solak said in a message to the fans.
"As a board, we are fully behind him and together we only have one objective: we want promotion back to the Premier League.
"I also like to thank Johannes [Spors] and Phil [Parsons] for their efforts during the difficult time.
"We all together will continue to work hard this summer to give you a team you can be proud of and a club that is growing every year."
It’s a huge statement, after the repercussions the football club has faced following Eckert’s actions.
But after 38 games, 24 wins, taking his side from 21st to 4th in the table, and leading the Saints past two Premier League teams to an FA Cup semi-final, it is clear Dragan Solak believes Eckert’s coaching ability outshines the mistakes he has made.
Time to put things right
Not many in the footballing world will agree with the stance Southampton are taking over their manager.Â
There are certainly questions over the morality of the decision, but Dragan Solak’s statement showed intent and real accountability, something that has been missing in club statements over the past few weeks.
As he ended his thoughts, Solak promised, "We will work with the FA in the coming weeks to make everything right and to put this whole situation behind us so we can focus on building the club and the team and the unity and the community of Saints that everybody can only be proud of.
"I promise you that we'll bring to you at the end of the summer the team that will take you out of your seats and excitement will run high against St Mary's."
It’s certainly set to be an interesting summer. With no date given by the FA on when their verdict will be, the Saints should absolutely be preparing a contingency plan if Tonda Eckert can’t continue.
Their hope is that he will be able to, as the club takes on a real siege mentality into 2026/27.
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