The Southampton players will feel extremely conflicted when it comes to Tonda Eckert.
On the one hand, the camaraderie they had with their manager, during a 19-game unbeaten streak to reach the Championship playoffs, will be hard to replicate elsewhere.
Yet, due to the German's secretive spying tactics, promotion to the Premier League is now off the cards, leading to several players surely wanting to up and leave St Mary's this summer.
There are also a select few players who will be glad to see the back of the German, as it could mean they gain more first team minutes next season, due to a squad refresh.
The reserve Saints players who could gain more minutes
The German was staunchly loyal to a select group of first teamers last season, with the likes of Leo Scienza and Finn Azaz his trusty attackers.
With both forward players likely to leave the building this summer, more first team minutes could be afforded to Samuel Edozie, who only managed to start two Championship games last season under the 33-year-old.
Edozie certainly seems up for the challenge of playing more games, based on his recent defiant comments about bouncing back from Spygate, and with two assists from those minimal appearances, he could blossom with more opportunities handed to him.
Likewise, Joshua Quarshie could finally come into his own at St. Mary's, after a debut campaign that saw him feature here and there, particularly if Taylor Harwood-Bellis is to desert the South Coast for a Premier League club this summer.
The young German last featured under Eckert's wing back in March, when he was handed a late runout as a substitute. In total, 2026 only saw him feature for a sparing 131 minutes under the 33-year-old, with that number surely going up, as the Saints squad begins to look more bare.
There is another fringe centre-back in the Southampton camp who will be glad to see the back of the Serie A-linked manager, with the defender firmly pushed to one side when Eckert took on the reins mid-season.
This fringe player will be glad to see the back of Eckert
Nathan Wood would arrive in through the door at St. Mary's in the summer of 2023 as a firm favourite of Russell Martin's.
Indeed, he was ever-present for Swansea City during the 2022-23 season, before Martin took him with him to the Saints.
Featuring regularly towards the start of this season, too, under Will Still, it wasn't until Eckert arrived that the Middlesbrough-born defender would find his first-team chances drying up.
Eckert did utilise him a lot more towards the close of the campaign, but before he started against his former club Swansea in April, he had only been afforded 343 minutes in 2026 in Championship action.
With 106 second tier appearances under his belt, he could be a worthwhile centre-back figure to keep around, as a Saints rebuild takes shape.
He might not have been the first name on the teamsheet under Eckert, but he has certainly shone in the division in the past, having once been noted as having a "high ceiling" by ex-Swans boss Michael Duff.
Now, with Eckert gone, it's time for Wood to start living up to this hype, with a new-look Saints team needing to hit the ground running quickly next season, as a four-point deduction hangs over proceedings.
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