No team in England’s top four divisions has won as many points or scored as many goals as Southampton in 2026, with German head coach Tonda Eckert at the wheel.
Tottenham Hotspur have beaten just one more Premier League side than they have in the calendar year, a testament to their brilliant FA Cup run at the back end of last season. It’s important not to mention Spurs’ misgivings.
The Saints have won 30 out of 49 matches under Eckert. It’s a brilliant record, and the club will feel their efforts post-Will Still have warranted a place in the top-flight. Spygate and the EFL’s season-ending play-off expulsion threw a spanner in those works.
Just one match remains before an international break, in which Southampton will surely receive the verdict from the FA’s investigation into their head coach.
It’s a game Saints fans should savour, with the future looking unclear.
Wrexham away
If history repeats itself, Southampton should enjoy their visit to Wrexham. One of their finest performances of last season came when they blew the play-off contenders away in a 5-1 victory under the lights.
Phil Parkinson’s team were helpless against a five-star Saints team then, and Tonda Eckert will be hopeful of repeating the same feat, for Wrexham are winless at home so far in the 2026/27 campaign.
Despite a tricky start, the home side will maintain high hopes under the well-documented ownership of film stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac.
The Saints will be facing up against a side in desperate need of a win to make the optics of the start to their season look better before one of the longest mid-season international breaks there’s ever been.
For them, it could be the case of being the last games under manager Eckert, at least for a while. That’s if the FA are particularly unfavourable.
Any ban would be unfair
Tonda Eckert has already apologised for his involvement in Spygate, and believes he has done all he can to make it right, including spending hours in meetings with the FA during their investigation.
What the German did was wrong, but he’s already been punished to the nth degree. Eckert missed out on a deserved opportunity to manage in the Premier League, faced public scrutiny, hearings and even death threats. He was advised by police not to drive because of this.
A further punishment for his conduct internally would be another step too far.
Southampton’s own hierarchy decided to back him amid the severe reputational damage off the back of the incident. That’s the club’s own call - they should be allowed to decide how to deal with the situation.
Whether Wrexham is Eckert’s last match or not, Southampton fans will want to savour the match. It’s their last runout ahead of October’s south coast derby - a must-win match, whoever is in charge.
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